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CANE GROWERS GET SOUR DEAL FOR THEIR WALLETS: FSC chairman Abdul Khan accused of deliberately misleading and deceiving cane growers and the people of Fiji about the third cane payment for 2015

18/3/2016

7 Comments

 
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March 19, 2016
MEDIA STATEMENT
 
THIRD CANE PAYMENT NOT CERTIFIED
FSC MISLEADING GROWERS

 
The Executive Chairman of Fiji Sugar Corporation Abdul Khan has deliberately misled and deceived cane growers and the people of Fiji about the third cane payment for the 2015 season, which was supposedly paid out last week.
 
Last Wednesday’s payment was not $9.88 but $5. And the growers statement of account shows the $5 per tonne payment is specified as Special Cane Pay”. There is no mention of the proceeds being from the third cane payment. This is the second time in five months that Abdul Khan is deceiving growers. In October last year he claimed growers received 71 cents per tonne as final cane payment being for 2014. This was totally misleading. Growers received the lowest final cane pay in history of 30 cents per tonne, which was topped up by 41 cents being growers share of proceeds from the liquidation of Fiji Sugar Marketing.
 
This vindicates the NFP’s view that the third cane payment was not duly certified by the Sugar Industry Tribunal and industry stakeholders including the Sugar Cane Growers Council at the time the payment of $5 per tonne was paid. Otherwise the growers statement of account or invoice should have stated the payment as proceeds from third cane payment.
 
The question then arises; Why did Abdul Khan pluck the figure of $9.88 from  thin air and proclaim it as the third cane payment? Despite the silence of other stakeholders on the issue especially the Tribunal, we understand the process perfectly well contrary to Abdul Khan’s claim that the NFP does not understand the process of determining a cane payment.
 
In this regard the proceeds of all sugar sales prior to determining the third cane payment has to be audited and then certified. It seems Mr Khan has either deliberately ignored this procedure or has attempted to pre-determine the third cane payout.
 
The second question that Mr Khan must answer is; Is his figure of a third cane payment of $9.88 arrived at after deduction the balance of $3.40 advance to growers in two special payments of $4.80?
 
The third question Mr Khan must answer; Why is he determining that reminder of $4.88 per tonne from his supposedly correct figure of $9.88 will be subjected to deductions when stakeholders in other sectors of the economy are being given reprieve and concessions in the aftermath of the destruction caused by TC Winston?
 
Mr Khan is therefore usurping the role of other stakeholders in the industry by claiming that the third cane payment of $9.88 has been brought forward as a result of destruction caused by Tropical Cyclone Winston.
 
Mr Khan is misleading and deceiving the people of Fiji and shortchanging the cane growers. No stakeholder including Mr Khan as FSC Executive Chairman has clarified that the third cane payment usually due before March 31st each year has been certified by the Sugar Industry Tribunal and the Sugar Cane Growers Council Accountant.
 
This is a simple question and it is a matter of concern that no other stakeholder apart from Abdul Khan as boss of FSC is publicly commenting and clarifying the issue. We wonder whether the Tribunal and its Industrial Commissioner as well as the SCGC CEO are being gagged by Government, which is in total control of the entire industry that is now deeply politicized like never before in our history.
 
All industry stakeholders should come out clean and reveal the facts that we have stated. Furthermore, FSC is planning deductions from the third cane payment including $3.40 outstanding balance from the two special payments totalling $4.80, from the estimated $13.28 per tonne, leaving growers with $9.88. This should not be done if Government is serious about alleviating the plight of growers.
 
Other cultivation expenses including loans also should not be deducted from this payment.
 
The first form of real assistance will be the authorization of no deductions from the third cane payment. The full sum of a minimum projected third payment of $13. 28 per tonne should be paid to all cane growers so that they are able to start rebuilding their lives and livelihood.

Bala Dass
NFP General Secretary
 
March 17, 2016
 
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7 Comments
Cane belt mafia
19/3/2016 01:06:29 pm

I hope this is not NFP playing cane politics. Trying to mimick Mahen chaudhry and NFU by condemning and criticizing everything left, right, centre. It made Mahen very powerful but didn't do much for the farmers in the real terms or the long term. Farmers merely became pawns. NFP is clearly trying to fill the void left by Mahen and NFU but must not stoop to the same level. Farmers have been used for too long now.

Reply
No More Cane Politics
21/3/2016 10:00:35 pm

FSC, its CEO is NOT Fiji First Party. FSC is a corporate company managed by its executives.

It is the Government who should be concerned about the trickery imposed by their nominated CEO and act on the new information and thank NFP for bringing it to their attention.


You should thank the whistle blower NFP to bring this to the attention of the Government.

Reply
Chiku
21/3/2016 10:33:18 pm

It is myth making to claim "FSC, it's CEO is not Fiji First Party. FSC is a corporate company managed by its executive". In a dictatorship ( and Fiji is under the twin dictators Bai and Kai notwithstanding the pretence of democracy) everything is under the thumb of the dictator. The FSC CEO is there courtesy of the dictators of Fiji. Don't engage in selfA deception by claiming FSC operates as an independent corporate entity. It does not.

Grower
19/3/2016 06:25:26 pm

Being a sugar cane grower myself once producing over 450 tonnes of cane (now down to about 200), I am happy that someone is saying things as they are. We have been taken for a ride by this Abdul Khan and FSC for years now. Khan is a lier. He sits in his office with office girls and also marries one of them. (People say she was with Chaudhry before) He hasnt been to see any farmer in my sector. He was put there by Khaiyum to consolidate muslim control of the industry. But even muslims in my sector are suffering. Khaiyum thought he can use Khan to keep muslim growers happy. But it will backfire. Khaiyum will not get the muslim cane farmer support this time. We have trusted them too much. NFP has said the right things. We wait to see if NFP can become mature to gain our trust.

Reply
Chiku
19/3/2016 06:55:55 pm

@ cane belt Mafia. The question is whether the claim made by Bala Dass , the NFP General Secretary is true or false? That is something that is empirically verifiable . Now the one thing that I know to be true is the statement that the entire industry is under the total control of the political power holders and it is deeply politicised as never before in the country's history.
What isn't and hasn't been " deeply politicised " under Bainimarama and Khaiyum's rule in Fiji since the unlawful power grab of 2006?
Name on thing.

Reply
Pita
20/3/2016 11:18:31 pm

Please Cane Belt Mafia don't insult the intelligence of readers on this site with yr imputing improper motives on the NFP and trying to equate it with Mahen Choro Chaudhry. Everyone in Fiji wants to see the Sugar Industry flourish and the farmers and workers get a fair share of the rewards in return for their hard work. In that regard we should all be concerned with allegations that the FSC executive chairman is fiddling the figures to play politics. We look to the FSC to respond to the claim. It seems Mr Cane belt mafia that you don't care what the state of the sugar industry is only that no on should criticise those who manage it

Reply
Samjha
21/3/2016 03:23:00 am

What about the Mafia who hijacked political power in 2006 and all the conning and thieving they have been doing ever since? Can you share your thoughts on them Cane belt mafia?

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