Sera Navuga 
The Sugar Cane Growers Fund has clarified that deductions made from the recent Diwali payments only applied to farmers with outstanding arrears.
This clarification comes following criticism from Opposition MP Joseph Nand, who accused the SCGF of betraying farmers by making deductions despite assurances from the Prime Minister last week.
Nand claims SCGF has shown “deliberate cruelty” by deducting arrears from what he described as a promised “Diwali payment without deductions.”
In response, SCGF Chief Executive Officer Raj Sharma says they received a total of $5.416 million for the gain payment, and only a small percentage was deducted to address overdue loans.
“We, as far as Sugar Cane Growers Fund is concerned, we have received 5.416 million dollars of gain payment and what we have done, there are no deductions for the funds. Whoever is up to date with repayment, no deductions?”
Sharma says deductions were only made for farmers who were in significant arrears or facing potential legal action, as the Fund can not breach existing contractual agreements.
“The people who were in huge arrears and defaults, we have deducted because these are the people who would have been saved with legal actions or they may be before the court. To avoid any further actions, we could not breach those contractual arrangements that they have made.”
Sharma clarified that only $321,000, or around seven percent of the total payment, was deducted, stressing that the majority of farmers received their full payout.
He adds that some farmers even requested deductions to manage their interest rates and that those wishing to redeposit funds after withdrawal are free to do so.
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