SUGARcane farmers who say the cost of fertiliser or other farming equipment were too costly should provide evidence of it, Fiji Sugar Corporation executive chairman Abdul Khan said.
Speaking to farmers in Koronubu, Ba, last Friday, Mr Khan said the cost of fertiliser has remained the same for a number of years while money paid out to each farmers for each production had almost doubled.
“A few years back when you were getting $45 per tonne, the cost of your fertiliser was the same,” he said.
“From $45, through the help of Government and through the various restructure that Government put in place, it went from $45 to close to $80 and the year before last you were getting paid close to $89.
“Yet your cost of fertiliser did not go up nor did your cost of weedicide, so to make statements that the cost of fertiliser is too expensive I think you really need to substantiate your claims.”
He said the margins between expense and revenue provided to farmers were a lot greater now compared with five years ago.
“Sugarcane farmers know very well the gains that we have made, for example, the mills were not working well and we needed close to 14 tonnes of sugar cane to make one tonne of sugar now we require just over eight tonnes.
“So those gains have been passed on to the farmers because you as farmers get close to 70 per cent of the net revenue that we get.
“The 30 per cent remains with the miller which is the Fiji Sugar Corporation,” he said.
