At least 100 Fijians have been trained to operate mechanical harvesters following the inability of India-based operators to travel due COVID-19.

At least 100 Fijians have been trained to operate mechanical harvesters following the inability of India-based operators to travel due COVID-19.

Fiji Sugar Corporation Chief Executive, Graham Clarke, says with more than 80 harvesters already in the country, training was conducted last year through electronic programs that were provided.

Clarke says the sessions were done online.

“To start off with people say our local operators will not be as good as the foreigners but we did okay, we did a great job and that was all thanks to technology.”

He says in future they might not even need to bring in the operators from India.

The cost of one mechanical harvester is around $360, 000.