[Source: Parliament of the Republic of Fiji/FACEBOOK PAGE]
The Sugar Cane Growers Council says limited funding is affecting its ability to provide adequate support services to cane farmers.
This was presented to the Committee for Economic Affairs for their annual report.
Chief Executive Vimal Dutt acknowledged that the council lacks sufficient resources to effectively reach growers at the ground level.
Dutt reveals that the council currently has only one mobile officer assigned to each mill area, including Labasa, Rarawai, and Lautoka, making it difficult to meet the growing needs of more than 10,000 active cane farmers.
“We are very thankful that the government is making a gesture here, and the budget, if it’s increased, because our request is always higher than what we get or what we receive; we would be able to bring in more expertise or engage more of our resources and substitute the councillors. We currently have one officer who is on a mobile setup in each mill area.”
His comments follow concerns from farmers who say they are not receiving the council’s services and are unaware of available benefits.
Dutt says staff shortages have created a significant gap in outreach efforts, adding that increased budget support will allow SCGF to employ more personnel and improve services.
