Chaudhry visits farmers in Vuda

[posted 7 April 2009,1300]

NFU general secretary Mahendra Chaudhry spent two days last week visiting farmers in the Natova, Lautoka and Saweni sectors in the Vuda District.

Farmers are extremely disappointed and frustrated with the paltry $5.03 per tonne third cane payment for the 2009 crop, complaining that they were in fact expecting as much as $12 based on the forecast price of $61 and a likely price of $71 per tonne.

And they have been informed by FSC sources that a fourth cane payment due just prior to the commencement of harvesting, as provided for under the Master Award, may be extremely unlikely. Thus, they will face extreme hardship in preparing for the next harvest season which will commence in June.

One Sabeto cane farmer commented that the cost of land preparation and farm inputs soared in the last two years. Besides, harvesting and transportation costs have seen astronomical increases, not to speak of the additional expenses incurred by farmers when harvesting gangs are put on hold because of milling problems.

All these and the totally unsympathetic attitude of the FSC towards the farmers continue to make cane farming an unattractive proposition, he complained.

Farmers face huge losses

Farmers are facing a loss of, at the very least, $23 per tonne for the 2009 season based on the fact that the TCTS ratio for conversion of cane to sugar was 14:1 instead of 9:1.

NFU believes farmers have every right to be compensated for this massive loss but it remains to be seen whether they will get justice in an environment where their voice has been completely shut out as a result of the dissolution of the various industry institutions in which they had representation.

“Many cane growers I spoke to seem to have made up their mind to switch to alternative cash crops or livestock and poultry farming in order to improve their incomes. They are uncertain of the future of the sugar industry.

“The cane growers’ morale is quite low,” said Mr Chaudhry.

“The sugar industry needs to take urgent action to assist the farmers and ensure that he is compensated for the losses for which FSC is responsible. Showing the stick to the farmers will not work and is not a solution to the sorry state of the industry today.

Sugar can only survive and, perhaps even expand, given a responsive and pragmatic leadership,” said Mr Chaudhry.

(Pic) Cane farmers from the Natova sector: