Riya Mala 
5Si Scheme - promises to bring relief. [Photo: SUPPLIED]
Limited financial planning opportunities and competing priorities have often made it difficult for sugarcane farmers to build adequate savings.
However, the Sugarcane Growers Fund’s new Special Social Security Savings Scheme with Insurance – known as the 5Si Scheme – promises to bring relief.
SCGF Chair Marika Luveniyali says the initiative is a major step forward in strengthening the resilience of both farmers and the wider sugar industry.
Luveniyali notes that while growers have carried the weight of Fiji’s sugar industry for decades with resilience and dedication, many continue to face financial insecurity, limited access to insurance, and the volatility of seasonal income.
While some farmers currently support their livelihoods through voluntary savings mechanisms like FNPF contributions, Luveniyali stresses that the 5Si Scheme seeks to institutionalize this security by placing empathy, care, and long-term stability at the center of financial support for cane growers.
