Prime Minister at the Labasa Sugat Mill.
The government has reassured cane farmers that it remains committed to Fiji’s sugar industry, with Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka saying the focus is on revitalising the sector rather than abandoning an industry that has supported the country for generations.
Speaking during the Parliamentary Special Committee on the Sugar Industry consultation in Seaqaqa, Rabuka acknowledged the industry’s decline but said the committee’s role is
to identify practical solutions that will help secure its future.
Rabuka said the committee is consulting with farmers and stakeholders to better understand the challenges facing the industry before making recommendations on reforms.
“We are not going to discard the reliance that Fiji has had on the sugar industry. So take heart. We will just try and improve it. Improve it for the landowners, improve it
for the farmers, improve it for the country. Because we all have relied on it for so long. Why throw it away? We’ll have to keep going.”
Rabuka also addressed concerns surrounding the possibility of privatization, urging farmers not to panic and stressing that any consideration of such a move would be
carefully researched and informed by the experiences of other sugar-producing countries that have successfully diversified their economies.
The Prime Minister said no decisions would be made hastily, with the Government focused on improving the industry for farmers, landowners and the nation.
Deputy Prime Minister and Committee Member Manoa Kamikamica also assured farmers there is a future for the industry, dismissing suggestions that it is on the verge of
collapse.
The Parliamentary Special Committee on the Sugar Industry conclude its North consultations today in Labasa, as it gathers submissions to help shape recommendations on the
future of Fiji’s sugar sector.
