[Photo: PECELI NAVITICOKO]

A Seaqaqa cane farmer has painted a grim picture of the financial reality facing growers, telling the Parliamentary Special Committee on the Sugar Industry that many farmers are “worse than beggars” despite years of hard work.

During the consultation in Seaqaqa, Aktar Hussein said low returns, rising production costs and mounting debt have left many cane farmers struggling to provide for their families.

He claimed that between 60 and 70 percent of farmers in Seaqaqa are indebted to the Fiji Development Bank and other financial institutions, while deductions for milling, land leases, fertiliser and loans often leave little or no money in farmers’ hands after harvest.

“We are worse than beggars. Beggars collect a lot of money when they ask for money, but we don’t get what we should get. Still, we survive because we have families to look after.”

Hussein said unlike salaried workers who receive regular fortnightly wages, cane farmers wait months to receive payments after delivering their harvest, only to see much of it deducted before it reaches them.

He also raised concerns over increasing land lease payments, declining soil productivity after decades of farming, and the rising cost of living, warning that the sugar industry will continue to decline unless farmers receive fairer returns.

Hussein further questioned who should be held accountable for the industry’s financial performance, asking why the sector continues to rely on government funding if it has not been profitable and why so many organisations are involved in the industry while growers continue to struggle.

The Parliamentary Special Committee on the Sugar Industry is consulting with cane farmers and stakeholders across Vanua Levu this week to gather recommendations on the future direction of Fiji’s sugar industry.