Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama says that sugar would be a sustainable industry.

“Our sugar cane industry is here to stay and Government is committed to create an economically, viable, modern and sustainable industry,” he said.

Mr Bainimarama was responding to a motion by the Opposition yesterday for a bipartisan select committee to collectively find solutions to revive the sugar industry to ensure it remains vibrant.

He said an agreement of two political parties that usually opposed each other’s political views was not conducive to revive the industry.

He said the National Federation Party and Social Democratic Liberal Party were two parties that didn’t agree with each other’s policies.

However, the motion was defeated by 31 votes to 14 while four didn’t cast their votes.

National Federation Party MP, Prem Singh while speaking on the motion, said that they needed to work together as political parties to revive the sugar industry.

Opposition member Biman Prasad said they need to leave the past and work together.

Mr Singh said the events of December 2006 had been difficult for sugarcane growers around the country.

He said there was a need to revive the sugar industry which had been the backbone of Fiji’s economy for the last 100 years.

Mr Singh said more than 200,000 people around the country were dependent either indirectly or directly through the sugar cane industry.

He said the number of registered sugarcane growers and sugar produced had decreased over the last 10 years.

Mr Singh said sugarcane farmers faithfully performed their duties during difficult times and it was Government’s duty to look after their livelihoods.

Edited by Rusiate Mataika

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