Deputy Prime Minister Manoa Kamikamica has assured sugarcane farmers in Seaqaqa that Fiji's sugar industry will not collapse, following concerns raised during a public consultation.
Responding to a farmer's concern that growers had heard claims the sugar industry was collapsing, Kamikamica described those claims as nonsense and stressed that if the sugar industry was collapsing, Government leaders, including Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka, would not be travelling to meet farmers and discuss ways to revive the sector.
Kamikamica says the presence of Government ministers, the Leader of the Opposition and representatives from other political parties showed that the sugar industry is a national issue rather than a political one.
INSERT: Kamikamica on sugar industry 6th Aug
Kamikamica acknowledged that there had been many previous attempts to address the industry's challenges, including numerous reports over the years, but stressed that the current Government is determined to ensure meaningful action is taken.
He says the Government believes there is a future for the sugar industry and is focused on finding practical solutions to strengthen it.
