Kudos to the Back to Farm initiative

It’s all about telling farmers - okay we will help you pay off your loans by getting you back to cultivating sugarcane.

The present Government, in spite of the numerous negative comments thought of those tied directly and indirectly to the industry have said they will not go hungry as long as we are in power.

The ‘Back to Farm’ initiative by the Sugar Cane Growers Fund launched yesterday will no doubt be greeted with a sigh of relief by farmers who have difficulties in repaying loans.

The initiative is another form of assistance by industry stakeholders, and especially the Government, to bring the once thriving industry back to its glory days.

One must remember that the present state of the sugar industry was a result of past decisions that almost destroyed the industry and the many lives that depended on it for survival.

Those who have thrown a spanner in the works, especially before the turn of the century, did not care if thousands of people went hungry if the industry came to a halt.

The present

Government, in spite of the numerous negative comments thought of those tied directly and indirectly to the industry have said they will not go hungry as long as we are in power.

This new initiative gives those farmers, who have either been sick, or having no one to look after their farms or have genuine reasons for not being able to pay back their loans to the Fund, to be given a chance.

It’s all about telling farmers - okay we will help you pay off your loans by getting you back to cultivating sugarcane.

It is a new lease of life and gives each of these farmers an opportunity to take a second shot at rebuilding the industry.

The Fund’s chief executive officer, Raj Sharma, has a wealth of banking experience under his belt and with that knows only too well the struggles that cane farmers go through.

“It’s all about giving the cane farmers a second chance,” Mr Sharma said.

For sure this new initiative will inspire those farmers who are on the brink of leaving the sugar industry to remain and rip the rewards once the industry is fully back on its feet.

As mentioned, many mouths depend on the sugar industry. For its survival, the continued implementation of new initiatives running parallel with the grants offered by Government will surely yield positive outcomes.