Prime Minister and Minister for Sugar, Voreqe Bainimarama says as much as the ministry had anticipated it could not reach the season target of 2 million tonnes of cane from 2012 to 2016.
Bainimarama says the industry is battling with ongoing and emerging challenges including shortages of labour, cyclones and floods, high transportation and harvesting cost and expiry of land leases.
He says they have been able to resolve labour shortages for cane harvesting for flat land areas and with procurement of nearly 100 mechanical harvesters in the country, they are now able to harvest at least 40 percent of the overall crop.
While speaking on the Consolidated Report on the Review of Ministry of Sugar Industry 2012–2016 Annual Report Bainimarama says from 2012 to present day, they have experienced tropical cyclones almost every year which have caused massive damages to the industry.
He says for instance, Category 5 Tropical Cyclone Winston caused $163 million of damage.
National Federation Party Leader Professor Biman Prasad says the micromanagement by government, people who really cannot differentiate between a root of a cane stalk and its top has strangulated what they now have a pocket-size industry.
Prasad has also questioned the decision to sell the nonproductive assets of the Fiji Sugar Corporation.
He says it is not clear how the FSC has gone about classifying land assets as lazy.
Prasad says it makes no sense to talk about selling these assets in a depressed economic environment as the FSC will not get the true value of the assets.
