Question 27/2015 (Thursday 12 February)

Hon. Dr.Biman Prasad to ask the Prime Minister and the Minister for Sugar – Would the Prime Minister and the Minister for Sugar inform this House of the following:

Why did the Fiji Sugar Corporation refuse to pay a Special Cane Payment by way of Advance to farmers in January this year, similar to arrangements at the beginning of previous years?

Why did the Prime Minister and Minister for Sugar not direct the FSC to make the Special Payment?

------

Madam Speaker, the Fiji Sugar Corporation is a body corporate entity with its own Governance structures. The Corporation makes its own decisions based on economic, financial and governance considerations.

However, as I said in my statement yesterday, Madam Speaker, I think it is unfortunate how the Honourable Member is trying to use this issue to further his political agenda. Score cheap little political parties. He wants to go outside this House and tell a handful of farmers, see I said this on your behalf.

He is not concerned for a moment about the ground realities and the long terms implications on the economic and commercial imperatives. I know he has qualifications as an economist but then again, Madam Speaker,there are economists and there are economists. On top of that of course we don’t expect him to understand commercial realities. That is a different skill and mind-set altogether.

Madam Speaker, it seems that even if you present the Members opposite with the facts, they ignore them. They chose fiction over truth simply because the truth does not fit with their little political agendas.

In this case, the Honourable Member is trying to suggest it is Government and the FSC versus the farmers. Nothing could be further from the truth, Madam Speaker.

We are doing everything in our power to ensure the needs of our farmers are catered for.

As I said, those who need immediate financial assistance can receive loans through the Sugar Cane Growers Fund. A total of 1,000 cane farmers have already accessed these from the Sugar Cane Growers Fund, totalling $811,000. What’s more, the application fee of $10 for the loans is paid for by the FSC and not by the cane farmers.

But for those farmers who do not need immediate assistance, we need to ensure that they have the funds in March/April to prepare for the upcoming crushing season. A special payment now would erode this funding.

Madam Speaker, in the past, these special payments were designed to help farmers prepare their children for the start of the school year. But now, as I mentioned yesterday, with the provision of free tuition, free textbooks and subsidised bus fares, and not forgetting the toppers scholarship and the TELS program, the demands on parents have been greatly eased by Government.

And of course free water, free medicine and subsidized electricity can be added to this list.

With all this in mind, I support the FSC’s decision. It has a program in place to support those who need help, while also looking after the interests of farmers overall.

Madam Speaker, as I have explained, I support the FSC’s decision and am satisfied with the arrangements they have made for those famers in need of immediate assistance.

______

1 | Page