Bula
There are three stories that make the front page of The Fiji Times for Tuesday, December 10.
Attorney General Graham Leung has said that it would be easier to fit a camel through the eye of a needle than to amend the 2013 Constitution.
He described the 2013 Constitution as one of the most difficult to change.
Mr Leung added that while the review process was challenging, it remained a priority for the Coalition government.
DEPUTY Prime Minister Professor Biman Prasad believes the Coalition Government model — where political parties collaborate — aligns with the leadership style people prefer. Speaking on The Lens@177, he said maintaining the Coalition could lead to greater support in future elections.
DIGITISING Fiji’s national currency through the issuance of a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) will ensure sovereign control of Fiji’s financial base, said outgoing ANZ Group CEO Shayne Elliott. Mr Elliott was in Fiji last week and spoke at a seminar organized by the Reserve Bank of Fiji (RBF).He said governments and central banks risk losing control to cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin if they do not issue their own CBDCs.
“As the world continues to digitise, central banks, governments do not want to lose control of their currency base. “If it goes to Bitcoin, you’ve lost control.”- More on PAGE 14
Synopsis
Making a difference
The revelation that sugar production has declined significantly in the 2024 season is cause for concern.
Minister for Sugar Charan Jeath Singh has noted a drop of 1.33 million tonnes compared with the previous year.
This is quite serious!
And to think that at one stage, back in 2021, we were actually targeting a crop of two million tonnes in 2022!
We knew of the constant decline over the years.
We knew we had a major challenge on our hands.
The question is, did we do enough to arrest the decline?
Mr Singh attributed the decline to ongoing industry challenges compounded by the effects of climate change, which had adversely impacted both farmers and harvesters.
“This is a significant decline in the state of our cane,” he said.
This isn’t news we want to hear.
Unfortunately, this is the reality!
Mr Singh said the Sugar Industry Tribunal had announced the termination of the crushing process at Fiji’s three mills due to operational throughput and the estimated crop available.
“We tried to extend the mill crushing period, but the Fiji Sugar Corporation (FSC) explained that it is very expensive to run the mills. In consultation with the Government, the operations were ceased,” he said.
He said the ministry had been providing consistent support to farmers throughout the season and had introduced initiatives to boost production for 2025.
Obviously, it seems, nothing worked well for us this time around.
It is encouraging though to know that attempts are being made to boost production next year.
He pointed out that there were 18 different programs for farmers on offer and they were encouraged to take advantage of the opportunities to increase production next year.
Now that is well and good.
As we look ahead, the need for a comprehensive strategy to address these ongoing issues is critically important.
The Government and industry stakeholders must come together to create a sustainable framework that supports cane farmers and ensures the viability of the sugar industry.
We always knew about the complexities of the industry. We have known about its many challenges as well.
We need to be looking at addressing the root causes of the decline, and planning around that. There are people who depend on the industry to put bread on the table.
Again, we refer to regular letter writer, Bharat Morris: ‘We need more sugarcane to produce more sugar.
‘To produce more sugarcane, we need more land for sugarcane cultivation.
‘Now to cultivate more land, we need more sugarcane farmers!’
Considering the complexities, we again ask the big question: Do we have the political will to make a difference?
