Pre harvest help an incentive to work harder: farmer
Nadi farmer Shiu Narayan, 79, is excited to receive his pre-harvest assistance from the Lautoka Cane Producers Association today.
The association, consisting of cane farmers from Lautoka, Nadi, and Sigatoka, will distribute $61,6845.04 among its 2,971 members as a first payout for the harvest assistance this year.
All members who harvested cane in the 2022 season will receive a subsidy payment of $1.50 per ton, facilitated through Fiji Sugar Corporation.
The association, which is under the Fairtrade Premium, received $1.85 million for the 2022 crop.
In 2012, the association achieved Fairtrade accreditation but was later suspended due to non-compliance.
With the support of their members, board members, and Fairtrade Australia New Zealand, the association regained certification in 2022, allowing them to trade under Fairtrade terms.
Fairtrade is an alternative approach to conventional trade that aims to offer producers better deals and improved terms of trade, while also providing consumers with a powerful way to reduce poverty through their everyday shopping.
Mr. Narayan, who owns seven acres of sugarcane land, believed that the payments would encourage farmers to work hard and achieve more.
Association Chairman Bala Dass said the payout was from the Fairtrade Premium received in 2022 and was one of the many activities approved during the association’s annual general meeting in March. Other activities that will be implemented using the Fairtrade Premiums in 2023 include cane planting, drainage works culvert, community development, death benefit, medical disability assistance, and special support schemes.