Minister Urges Support for All Farmers, Not Just Sugar Cane Growers

Fiji's Agriculture Minister Tomasi Tunabuna has called for balanced government assistance, emphasizing that support should extend to all farmers, not solely those in the lucrative sugar industry. His remarks come as sugarcane farmers seek further aid to cope with escalating fuel costs.

Tunabuna highlighted that numerous non-sugarcane farmers are also grappling with increased transportation and production expenses. He pointed out that while sugarcane farmers benefit from various subsidies, including those for land preparation, planting, harvesting, fertilizer, and chemicals, other farmers have not received comparable assistance despite facing similar challenges.

The minister assured that the government is actively working on strategies to address the impact of rising global fuel prices. He stressed the importance of ensuring that any support measures are fair and consider the diverse needs of the entire agricultural sector. Discussions are ongoing to determine the most effective ways to assist farmers and other sectors affected by the current fuel crisis.

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Our other farmers, apart from the non-sugarcane farmers, were not assisted like the assistance given to sugarcane farmers. When I’m led to believe that around 10,000 sugarcane farmers, there are a lot more non-sugarcane farmers who are also facing the same problem. So all in all, the government is already working on how we are going to address the increase in fuel prices.