The fourth cane payment will be made this Friday to cane farmers without any deductions after a major assistance package announced by the Minister for Economy Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum this morning.
Sayed-Khaiyum has announced that the government will pick up the deductions of all cane farmers which totals about $10 million.
He says the government will pay for cane farmers’ deductions to iTaukei Land Trust Board, Fiji Development Bank, Sugar Cane Growers Fund, Lands Department and South Pacific Fertilizers.
The Minister says these deductions total $6.7 million and it is a grant.
Sayed-Khaiyum also says that they will pay off the loan of about 4,000 farmers that took out $1,000 from the Cane Growers Fund as a result of the damage caused by Cyclone Winston.
The total amount of the loan which will be paid off by the government is $3.2 million.
Cane farmers will get $10.57 per tonne in the 4th cane payment which will total $14.57 million.
Meanwhile Sayed-Khaiyum has said that Fiji Times Limited is giving misleading information, mischief making and using some farmers for the agenda of some people within Fiji Times.
We have sent questions to Fiji Times Editor-in-Chief, Fred Wesley.
He is yet to respond.
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