Fiji Sun inspires cane growers
Fiji Sun has given a voice to the farmers, says leader forVitogo Cane Farmer Cooperative Gang 45, Naleen Maan. He said an article published last month in SunBiz titled ‘Cane gang leader tells education is important’ on August 21 had prompted many farmers to approach him regarding soil management.
He had earlier stated in the article that education was important for a good yield.
“After Fiji Sun had published that article, I received a lot of queries to advice farmers as to how to best prepare their land,” Mr Maan said.
“Now, we know there is someone there to represent us.”
Mr Mann said Fiji Sun’s reporting had instilled confidence in the farmers while accurately reporting on industry issues.
Premila Devi from Naviyago, Lautoka told the same tale.
“Being one of the only two female cane growers in my gang, after my story was published earlier in the Fiji Sun, I received some positive feedback from my friends and family,” she said.
“Most of them were inspired by the work I do.”
Ms Devi said she was called for some advice by another female grower who had seen her article in the Fiji Sun.
She said reporting on her journey as a cane grower had not only motivated her to work harder, but also inspired others.
For Sarava Navau Harvester Limited, a harvesting company in Ba, an interview with Fiji Sun resulted in getting more contracts for harvesting.
Company president Vimlesh Lal said the coverage by SunBiz had given the company a boost.
“We are thankful for the coverage,” he said. “We got some positive feedback from people who read the article about the procurement of mechanical harvesters.
“So far, we have managed to obtain five contracts following the publishing of the article last month,” he said.
While SunBiz played a big role in inspiring cane growers, Sugar Cane Growers Council chief executive officer Vimal Dutt said the newspaper played a pivotal role in attracting Fijians to the industry.
“We want to attract as many people as we can by the incentives the sugar industry rolls out,” he said.
“Coverage of such incentives by the media helps us do that.”
He said stories on the sugar industry created awareness amongst the stakeholders on the issues faced by the industry collectively.
“We really appreciate the work Fiji Sun has been doing,” he said.
Sugar Cane Growers Fund chief executive officer Raj Sharma also hailed Fiji Sun’s coverage on the sugar industry.
“Fiji Sun has kept the relevant institutions on toes on their service delivery and reputation,” he said.