News

Govt assisting farmers in North/West

December 23, 2015 4:42 pm

Government is assisting sugarcane farmers in the Western and Northern divisions, who have been severely affected by the prolonged dry spell through the cane replanting programme fund.

This was highlighted by the Ministry of Sugar acting permanent secretary, Viliame Gucake.

Gucake said the worst hit areas are Ba and Rakiraki where six sectors have faced the full brunt of the El Nino.

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He also said that government has moved in to assist 1,758 farmers in the three sectors in Tavua and two sectors in Rakiraki whose crops have been damaged through the cane replanting programme.

225 hectares of cane in Drumasi, Yaladro, Tagitagi, Nanuku and Malau sectors account for 9,000 tonnes of cane which converted by the current tonnage cane to tonnage sugar (TCTS) ratio would produce 1,084 tonnes of sugar and would have fetched $883,460.