Forecast price of $54.36 per tonne unfair – petition

THE National Federation Party is collecting signatures for a petition from registered canegrowers, ahead of the 2021 Viti Levu crushing season.

The petition will be sent to Prime Minister and Minister for Sugar, Voreqe Bainimarama.

“The forecast price of $54.36 per tonne of sugar cane for the 2021 harvesting and crushing season is unfair, unjust, unreasonable and a disincentive for canegrowers to continue canegrowing,” the petition says.

“The delivery payment of $32.61 per tonne of cane for the 2021 season will grossly shortchange canegrowers, as it is insufficient to meet the harvesting and delivery costs of cane to the respective mills.

“We will receive nothing at all from these proceeds and in fact be subjected to debt.”

The petition said cane farming should be treated as a commercially viable operation, instead of growers being subjected to huge losses and debt.

“We, therefore, ask that the delivery payment be based on 60 per cent of the guaranteed price of $85 per tonne of cane.

“Based on the fact that the delivery payment should be 60 per cent of guaranteed price, the sum of such payment should not be less than $51 per tonne of cane.”

The petition said in the absence of a delivery payment of at least $51, growers would not be able to fork out a minimum of almost $7.40 to $14.90 per tonne to meet harvesting and delivery expenses which ranged from $38 to $42 per tonne.

The Sugar Industry Tribunal announced last week there would be “no” increase in the harvesting and cartage rates for the 2021 crushing season.

“The harvesting rates approved for gangs in the 2020 season will be the harvesting rates approved for gangs in the 2021 season,” said Tribunal registrar Timothy Brown.