The Chairman for the International Sugar Organization and Prime Minister Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama said for many African, Caribbean and Pacific sugar exporting countries, sugar cane is not just some incidental crop that can be easily replaced.
While opening the 43rd Session of the International Sugar Council in Nadi this morning, Commodore Bainimarama said it is a primary agricultural export, at the very core of our economies and the lifeblood of huge segments of our populations.
He added that in some ACP countries, sugar exports account for more than one quarter of GDP and 85 percent of total agricultural exports.
He said the government is sparing no effort to revitalise Fiji's sugar industry and they have begun to see encouraging signs that those reforms are working.
Commodore Bainimarama said land is being used for replanting cane, more long-term leases are being renewed, confidence is growing, stability is returning and a revitalised industry is beginning to take root.
He said two weeks ago, he was able to announce a record cane payment to the farmers, as well as a high price secured for next year's crop.
More than 100 delegates from 86 countries are attending the International Sugar Organization meeting in Nadi.
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