The make-up of the Sugar Cane Growers Council will now change as the bill to amend the Sugar Industry Act has been passed in parliament.
The amendments will result in the Sugar Cane Growers Council membership consisting of two elected representatives from the Rarawai and Penang Cane Producers Association, the Labasa Cane Producers Association and the Lautoka Cane Producers Association.
Other members will be the Commissioner Western, the Commissioner Northern and a representative of the Ministry of Sugar.
All appointments will be made by the Minister responsible.
The amendment also sees the abolishing of the Sugar Commission and the farmers will no longer have to pay the growers levy to fund the running of the Sugar Cane Growers Council.
Over the past years, growers were paying about $600,000 in total to run the council on an annual basis.
The government will now take up the responsibility to fund the council.
While presenting the bill, Attorney General, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum said the Cane Producers Association representatives of the council are elected representatives of the cane producers.
Sayed-Khaiyum said the changes are part of the sugar industry reforms which will benefit everyone as more than a million dollars was allocated in the past to run the Sugar Commission.
Opposition parliamentarian, Tupou Draunidalo disagreed with the changes, saying the cane growers want their own representatives through the Cane Growers Council elections.
In response, Sayed-Khaiyum said the Cane Producers Association has elections and the farmers will vote for their representatives.
He also said the government is subsidizing South Pacific Fertilizers and this comes upto about 9 million dollars a year.
Sayed-Khaiyum said times have now changed compared to the colonial setup.
31 parliamentarians supported the bill during the vote, 13 voted against it while 5 did not vote and one parliamentarian abstained from voting.
