THE Ministry of Economy is assessing the financial indicators before the Government decides whether to provide a top-up to the minimum guaranteed sugarcane price of $85 a tonne.
Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka said cane farmers were waiting for the Government to confirm whether they would receive a top-up, as had been provided in previous years.
“We are also waiting for the indicators to get through to the Ministry of Finance on when it will be possible for them to announce whether there will be some top-ups that the farmers are calling for,” he said.
Mr Rabuka was speaking during the Special Committee on the Sugar Industry consultation in Seaqaqa.
He said there had been considerable debate over the minimum sugarcane payment, with farmers wanting clarity on whether additional assistance would be provided.
“You know that there has been a lot of debate on the minimum sugarcane payment.”
He said farmers were directly affected by fluctuations in world sugar prices and understood the impact on their families and livelihoods better than Government administrators.
“We are only the administrators of the various industries, but you are the ones who are seeing the real effects of how the ups and downs of world prices affect families and individuals like you.”
Despite the current challenges the sector was facing, he said they were looking forward to a successful conclusion to the crushing season.
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