from w
It's the talk of the town but who has read the whole report? Anyway those who have more information are certainly saying what they think. It was commissioned I guess to try and get the sugar industry in Fiji out of the doldrums but the emphasis on changing the present way of leasing tribal lane. The idea of de-reserving chunks of Fijian owned land has certainly caused a kerfuffle. At the same time, there needs to be a strong commitment to wisely using some of the vacant land as the soil is so rich and Fiji could be self-sufficient in food if thousands of better, larger fruit and vegetable gardens were planted.
I'm not so much interested in sugar production these days as I do think 10 acre farms have had their day... and...I don't like the idea of huge mechanised plantations in Fiji either!
Anyway, here is one take on the report as in today's Fiji TV news:
One National News
Land Report critised by Academic 17 Feb 2008 02:39:42
A critical analysis of the Krishna Murti report which was commissioned by the Finance Ministry, has described it as lacking depth and understanding of the current situation here.
The University of the South Pacific's head of economics, Professor Biman Prasad says, the report fails to draw on numerous other studies done in the area, that have also offered viable alternatives to the land issue.Its a report that has stirred strong reactions. Now an anlysis of this report by the USP's head of economics concludes the authors of this report lack understanding and depth.
Professor Biman Prasad says the 12 page project proposal fails to highlight the various other factors that have led to the decline of the industry.He says it is misleading to say that land tenure alone has led to the decline of the sugar industry and using land de-reservation as a possible solution. Citing examples which Professor Prasad says illustrates the opposite, between 1997 and 2003, some 5,506 leases were renewed.
This critical analysis goes on to say that the Krishna Murti report is not about the availability of land but more to do with the inefficiencies of our farming techniques right through to milling processes.
In 2006 Professor Biman Prasad and fellow academic and now FIT director Dr Ganesh Chand had proposed the concept of a Master Lease.
Professor Prasad has even proposed a new institutional mechanism to steer the reform of the industry and the doing away of bodies like the Sugar Commission as adding uneccesary expense to the industry.
3 comments:
please visit www.fijilive.com for the proposed report on the de-reservation of native land!
I haven't found the whole report on Fijilive, only references to it. Anyway now the writer of the recommendations has apparently explained that he didn't mean what he said!
from FijiTV tonight:
One National News
M Krishnamurthi admits he may have made a wrong recommendation
18 Feb 2008 00:58:31
The author of a controversial report on the sugar industry says he might have made a wrong recommendation.
Doctor M Krishnamurthi has admitted he didn't mean to recommend that all native land should be de-reserved in order to introduce large scale sugar cane farming..
Speaking from New Zealand, he says it wasn't his intention to propose the de-reserving of all native land, but only those which are confined to sugar cane farming.
On Page 7 of the report, Dr M Krishnamurthi recommended in order revamping the ailing sugar industry, qoute the first major step will be to dereserve all native lands, unqoute.
etc etc.
For starters Professor Biman or whoever he is....does not know squat about how the Sugar Industry was shaped from the time Dr. Krishnamurthi started working for the Sugar Industry. Dr. krishnamurthi is speaking about a chain reaction process that started back in the yester years and is seeing the brunt of it now. Prof. Bintu...opps, Biman of USP thinks he can impress readers with numbers of leases renewed from 1997 to 2003. What he failed to mention was the nature of renewal....how slow the process was and the number of years of renewal was enough to discourage any farmer given that Sugarcane farming yields returns much much later then vegetables and other crops. Prof Biwoman...oopss again, Bintu..ooopss, Biman needs to get his out of where the sun don't shine.
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