Farmers who had been blacklisted previously for abusing the cane planting grant will be given another chance to make use of the opportunity.

But the Permanent Secretary for Sugar, Yogesh Karan, said there would be a strict monitor on the use of grants to ensure that this cane planting  grant was put to best use.

“We have advertised full page about the cane planting grant and the Ministry is going to monitor that grant very closely so that the farmer’s applications are taken care of,” Mr Karan said.

He said previously they had to blacklist farmers as they failed to use their grants as not even a stick of cane had been received from them despite being given the grant.

In addition he said, the Government had put in more than $55 million of fertiliser subsidy.

Mr Karan said the sugar industry stakeholders needed to work hard to overcome the losses incurred last year by the industry.

“We cannot run the industry the way it was being run as you know the losses that had been faced in the industry,” he said.

“It was the worst seasons in the history of Sugar industry in Fiji.”

Edited by Rusiate Mataika

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