In an article titled ‘Challenging Times’ on the sugar industry, Chair Nitya Reddy tries to provide some reasons for the current sad state of the industry.
He is correct in attributing some of these to factors such as climate change, migration of skilled workers, land leases etc.
Obviously this is a very selective list. It has become fashionable these days to attribute impacts to climate change without providing an iota of evidence on the extent to which this may have impacted the industry.
It is well known that the state of the land fertility in Fiji is also a major factor where the associated South Pacific Fertilizer Industry could assist through research and development.
Similarly, the efficiency of milling operations, cost of cane transport and the technological innovation of the industry, given the labour shortages etc, is key to moving forward.
The article fails to address one of the most important factors that is responsible to a large extent on the poor state of the industry and that is its ‘politicization’.
This continues to be the case under the current Coalition Minister, as policy decisions are made on the run and appointments are made at the behest of the minister.
Mr Reddy himself was handpicked by the minister in place of the very capable previous chair of Vodafone who has such an impressive record in the business sector.
We gather the same is being played out in the selection of the CEO of the Sugar Research Council, an organisation that is crucial to supporting FSC’s R&D work and should be staffed by the best available experts.
We gather the previous chair of Research Office left when a completely unappointable candidate was being thrust on the entity at the insistence of the minister.
Projects such as building a mill in RakiRaki at a cost of over $50m when the transport cane costs are only around $3m, are being trumpeted – clearly a case of politics over economic justification!
We very much hope the PM and Cabinet can be called upon to ensure final decisions in respect of the industry are made in objective and transparent manner, and not delegate unlimited and unchecked powers to any one minister.
Feedbacks: letters@fijisun.com.fj