Time for change at the FSC

California, USA

The reason given by the Fiji Sugar Corporation (FSC) chief executive officer, Graham Clark, for delay in starting the crushing season as “technical issue” is appalling, stunning, and dismaying to say the least.

This is totally unacceptable after he has been on the job for so long and should know the dire situation of farmers survival better than anyone.

FSC had so much time to upgrade, repair, maintain and test the operation of the mills during the off season, yet the poor planning has once again derailed the opening of crushing season and costing hard working farmers so much.

The sugar industry, up to the 1980s, supported to the national gross domestic product and Foreign Reserves by 75 per cent and utilised 80 per cent of the agricultural land.

This data has fallen drastically to almost half if not more because of poor administration and expertise.

I know the importance of the industry very well because I used to work on the farm with my late dad, who was a very hard working patriot farmer and used to tell us the struggles of Girmityas who cultivated the bushy land to flourish the sugar cane under South Pacific Sugar Mills, Colonial Sugar Refining Co. Ltd, - British rules.

Also, with my dad’s encouragement, one of my siblings ended up working for FSC’s middle management ranks.

I would stress out that all the farmers organisations and unions should be deregistered immediately, and the dues or contributions should be stopped because they seemed to be very ineffective in caring the welfare for the farmers.

I would also suggest that all the FSC posts, including the executives, should be localised. The CEO, Mr Clark, should resign immediately.