Prime Minister and Minister for Sugar Voreqe Bainimarama today told NFP parliamentarian, Prem Singh to stop playing politics when it comes to the sugar industry while rejecting a petition brought in by Singh to be referred to a Parliamentary Standing Committee.
Singh tabled a petition from 303 cane growers from the Penang Mill area in Ra asking for an update on the mill repair work and what steps are being taken to get the mill up and running.
He says 13 months after Cyclone Winston, Penang Mill which was destroyed by the cyclone is yet to be repaired.
Singh says the economy of Rakiraki is taking a battering as the recovery after Winston has been slow and Rakiraki town has been affected by flooding 7 times after Cyclone Winston.
Singh says growers have suffered losses transporting cane from Rakiraki to Rarawai mill in Ba as 92,000 tonnes of cane was harvested in the Penang area last year however there was 35 percent loss of cane through transportation to Ba.
Bainimarama says he knows what is happening in Rakiraki and he has been talking to the growers in the area.
He says Penang Mill cannot be fixed in one year.
The Prime Minister says work continues on improving the sugar industry and looking at the best solutions.
Bainimarama also says that the farmers in Rakiraki will also be assisted.
He stresses that everything in the petition will be addressed in the Sugar Bill.
Bainimarama also confirms that the FSC workers from Rakiraki are still working in other mills in Ba and Lautoka.
Prem Singh’s motion to refer the petition to a Parliamentary Standing Committee was defeated in parliament.
26 parliamentarians voted against the motion, 16 voted for it while 8 parliamentarians did not vote.
