The sugar industry is not dying, insists the Sugar Minister, Charan Jeath Singh.
He said those spreading negative vibes are ignoring the visible turnaround in production, particularly in the North.
“Labasa’s main industry is sugar, and we cannot ignore that,” he said.
“We cannot say that sugar will die out. We are seeing real progress.”
He said total sugar production, which slumped to 1.3 million tonnes last year, is expected to rise to 1.6 million tonnes this year.
“From last year’s production, we are already seeing improvement. You can see, we are turning it around. We are working to ensure that sugar production across Fiji regains its strength.”
He said critics’ claims are baseless and motivated by personal disappointment rather than facts.
“The only reason this person was saying the industry would die was because he was no longer on the board and had failed to perform during his term.”
He was referring to comments made by a former board member of Fiji Sugar Corporation who claimed during last month’s town hall meeting in Rakiraki that the sugar sector is dying and farmers were struggling.
Mr Singh said growth is visible and they are committed to ensuring the sugar industry not only survives but thrives once again.
