The following statement was released today by the Ministry of Sugar:
The Bainimarama government and the Ministry of Sugar are very much focussed on ensuring the longevity of the sugar industry. The Bainimarama Government has facilitated, amongst other things, the legal ability of farmers to now obtain longer term leases, a thorough assessment and implementation of efficient cartage systems, efficiency of the sugar mills following the debacle of the Qarase government led upgrade, and continued assistance to farmers.
It is unfortunate that politicians such as Chaudhry have again engaged in gutter politics and misinformation simply to win political favour with the farmers.
- The reality is Chaudhry was minister for sugar for nearly two years in the Bainimarama Government.
- The reality is that he now says that nothing has been done for the farmers since the appointment of the Bainimarama Government but he in fact was a part of it and the Minister responsible.
- The reality is that he chastised the Qarase government for bringing the sugar industry to 'its knees' but now blames the Bainimarama government and is working with Qarase.
- The reality is that the sugar industry has been neglected for years and plagued by politics.
Some of the examples of the true status and current facts pertaining to the sugar industry include the following:
- Increased cane price from $45 to over $60 per tonne;
- The likely price for the coming season will be $63.00 per tonne even though the recent floods have badly affected cane quality and the much weaker Euro;
- Farmers will continue to be paid 70% of the net proceeds from both sugar and molasses. This will not change even under the cane quality payment system;
- Farmers who lost their entire crop during the recent floods have been given a grant of $2,500 per hectare and to assist all farmers, a grant of $1,125 and interest free loan of further $1,125 per hectare is available;
- Continued support of Fairtrade and in Labasa farmers and their communities receive additional benefits such as fertilizer subsidies and replanting grants;
- Establishment of nurseries for the supply of quality cane seed; and,
- Curtailment of juice spillage and theft at the mills.
Source: The Jet Newspaper
8 comments:
.....the military government blame everyone but themselves !
C
Perhaps it time government came clean and admitted they got it wrong with Mahen and they sacked him. The problem with lies is they always come back to haunt you. They let him pretend it was a resignation because he helped the PM get his back pay and promised indo Fijian support.
Fair enough call on FLP's leader but isn't this what Frank has been doing for 5.5 years......blaming everyone else for every problem and never accepting any role in it all ?
Looks like mahen 'million dollar' man chaudhry is up to his tricks again. After twiddling his thumbs for 2 years as interim sugar minister, he is suddenly concerned about the industry. This from someone who hijacked the entire sugar industry to further his own political career.
This from a man who collected money overseas in the name of farmers but put it in his own private australian bank account. Now he is trying to use the farmers again. Hopefully farmers are smarter and will not fall for his cunning tricks. Unless farmers wake up they will continue to be used by this man as his personal power base. they will gain nothing.
The the only way to judge this governments success on sugar is to look at sugar output over the last nearly six years. Sorry but it has gone backwards every year. Anyone remember Franks coup speech where he said they would fix it all by 2009 ?
Yep Chaudry has done nothing and Frank has been equally successful.
@ Mahen Million
Lets not forget that Frank cleared him of all wrong doing on overseas bank accounts when he was part of Franks team. You only face the law when you are not part of the team.
@ Anonymous 1 (please use a pseudonym) and Same same. I agree.
Ian Simpson
Taveuni
At some point during the last 30 odd years since we nationlised the sugar industry we stopped minning our own lime and applying it to our cane farms.
In that time our can production has fallen from 50 to 25 tonnes and acre or thereabouts.
Agricultural lime is basic - 101 the world over but along the way somebody decided that Fiji sugar industry, in fact all of agriculture in Fiji, no longer needed ag lime.
To all the Tate & Lyle Engineers in Fiji working on our mills, wonderful work, the people of Fiji wish you the best.
Could you tell your bosses to send some agronomists so that we can make those newly repaired mills humm with full loads of cane after they advise the sugar cane farmers that with application of lime they will start to make money again.
If sugar cane farmers demand cheap lime that is available under their feet at Momi and other sites, we the dalo and kava farmers of Taveuni will be able to also benefit.
Somebody will in due course calculate the loss to our nation in lost sugar revenue over the past 30 years. My guess is $1.2 billion dollars.
On another issue related to the sugar industry would be the amount of lost foreign exchange lost to the fact that FEA will not pay a decent rate for electricity to FSC and other alternative power producers like Tropic Wood.
I say, what harm to pay the cost of producing diesel generated electricity to the mills. How many hundreds of millions of dollars would have been saved in foreign reserves going to Arab sheiks rather than to our sugar mills and farmers at no cost to FEA.
At the present cost of 45cents per unit for diesel generated power, paid to FSC. What would the effect of this be for FSC,Farmers, Nation?
How would FEA be affected?
Is it the kava we drink?
What yarns the Ministers and PS of Sugar and Public Enterprises must be told by their Chairs and CEO's.
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