Seaqaqa farmer calls for police patrols after fire destroys his crops for the 6th time

A frustrated farmer is calling on authorities to address concerns raised by farmers, after his sugarcane farm was destroyed in a fire last week.

This is the 6th time for his crops to be destroyed in a fire.

60-year-old Sheikh Tabish Ali of Vunivere, Seaqaqa in Labasa, says he was in Suva when he received a call from his neighbour informing him of a fire that was destroying his cane field.

He says attempts were made to extinguish the fire, but they were unsuccessful, resulting in damage to approximately three acres of his crop.

Ali says he contacted the police regarding the matter, and officers arrived to take a report of the incident.

The devastated farmer says this is not the first fire incident on his farm - his crop was also destroyed in five separate fires last year, and he is calling on the police to take action regarding these incidents.

Ali stresses that this is a critical time for sugarcane farmers, particularly as the crushing season has not yet begun and other farms may also be at risk of being set alight.

He says he also contacted the Minister for Sugar Industry, Charan Jeath Singh, about the incident, but was told that the matter is not within his jurisdiction.

Ali says the sugar industry is already in decline, and experiencing damage to sugarcane crops at this time is devastating both for farmers and the industry as a whole.

We have sent questions regarding this incident to the spokesperson for the Fiji Police Force, who has responded by stating that the Divisional Police Commander North has assured her the matter is being looked into by Seaqaqa police officers.