THE Fiji Chamber of Small and Medium Enterprises has hit out at former Reserve Bank governor Savenaca Narube for his statement on medicinal cannabis in Fiji.
In a statement to this newspaper, Chamber president Humphrey Chang said medicinal cannabis could “double, or even triple Fiji’s income per capita” and urged Mr Narube not to come out with “pity issues that are the exact opposite of economic growth”.
“The gentleman is best if he were to concentrate on trying to improve the VAT reform portfolio which is his direct involvement in so far as is his career is concerned.
“The chamber is in full support of the sensible utterances made by the Permanent Secretary of the Trade and Commerce Ministry, Shaheen Ali in the greater effort to grow the economy,” Mr Chang said.
“The many advantages of this crop that can be injected into the economy is endless. It is also more resilient to pests and diseases, so farmers can save money on expensive chemicals and treatments.
“In addition, the whole hemp plant can be used for various products, including food, textiles, and building materials. The various products that can be produced from this crop are enormous from building materials to oil products for healing certain problems.”
Last week, while responding to this newspaper, Mr Narube said medicinal cannabis will worsen Fiji’s drug situation before it improves the economy.
Mr Narube said there were many other alternative export commodities, like agricultural commodities which Government could put more effort and resources into and criticised Government’s plans to start a medicinal cannabis industry in Fiji.
Mr Chang countered by pledging the chamber’s full support for “this overdued legislation of the industrial hemp of which Fiji is behind by some 25 years compared to other developing countries whose income per capita is much, much higher”
