Rakiraki businessman and cane farmer George Shiu Raj. [Photo: SUPPLIED]

Rakiraki businessman and cane farmer George Shiu Raj has blamed the Fiji Sugar Corporation as the main organisation responsible for the downfall of the sugar industry.

While making his submission to the Special Committee on the Sugar Industry, Raj stated that hundreds of farmers depend on FSC for their livelihood, but they do not get the treatment they deserve.

“You might be holding, CEO, a position today. Tomorrow, you’ll be out of the position. But you must remember the cry of the 11,000 farmers and the family at large. You must remember that healthy wages have been given to you with the sweat of the farmers, but still you say the farmers do not supply us the right quality of cane.”

In his submission, Raj further stated that farmers are being penalised for burning cane, which causes them further losses.

“And for three days, they hold the ticket. They don’t want to give the ticket to supply the cane to the mill. Is this another gimmick for us? Is it another gimmick for us? And after three days, they go. Where will the quality of the cane go? Where will the quality of the cane go?”

Raj went on to say that cane farmers do not get the respect they deserve.

“Just say our neighbouring countries, New Zealand, Australia, how they respect the farmers. But here, sometimes the FSC workers, they treat us like we are slaves. We are from the Girmit era, when the British people brought us to this country, our great-grandfathers.”

In his submission, Raj argued that farmers deserve a $110 per tonne cane payment, claiming that currently, they only receive an average of $3,000 to $4,000 over 17 months.

The members of the special committee have assured farmers that the $85 per tonne cane payment is only a minimum payment, and following the current consultations, the payment will be subject to review.