SUGAR Ministry permanent secretary Yogesh Karan has paid tribute to Sundresh Chetty for his contribution to the sugar industry for the past 26 years.
Mr Chetty retired as CEO of the Sugar Cane Growers Council earlier this week after spending 11 years at the helm of the farmers’ organisation.
“His contract expired in July but we extended it to the end of the year because we wanted him to finish the 2019 crushing season,” said Mr Karan.
“His contribution to the industry has been notable. “He has gone out of his way on many occasions and helped farmers, helped those in need and those with complaints — he was very responsive in that regard. When there were cyclones and disasters, he was always there.
“He did not have big staff numbers but he was very effective in that regard. “I thank him for his contribution to the industry and the sacrifices that he made as a member of the sugar family.”
Mr Karan said he was looking at utilising the wealth of knowledge Mr Chetty had acquired to continue assisting the industry.
“He was a member of the Sugar Research Institute of Fiji and Sugar Cane Growers Fund boards, his services could still be used in other boards which I will see once an opportunity arises.
“Someone spending 26 years in the industry certainly has a lot of institutional knowledge which can be used to assist farmers.”
Mr Karan said Sunil Chaudhary would take up the CEO position in an acting capacity.
