Sugar Cane Growers Council represents the

sugar cane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of (often hybrid) tall, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fibrous stalks t ...

farmers in

Fiji Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...

. It is made up of 38 members elected by the farmers and eight members nominated by the government. The Sugar Cane Growers Council election is held every three years. The Council has a chief executive, the first one being Vijay R. Singh, and a chairman. In elections held in March 1992 the National Farmers Union won 33 of the 38 Council seats. In the 1998 elections, the National Farmers Union won 22 seats. In 2001, the National Farmers Union won 21 seats while the

Fiji Cane Growers Association The Fiji Cane Growers Association (FCGA) is a cane farmers' union established in 1992 by supporters of the National Federation Party (NFP). After the 1987 military coup in Fiji, most of the farmers' unions curtailed their activities, leaving the ...

won 16 seats and one seat went to an independent. The National Farmers Union retained its majority in 2004, winning 22 of the 38 seats contested, the Fiji Cane Growers Association won fourteen seats, and the remaining two seats went to independent candidates. The National Farmers Union polled 52 per cent of all votes cast compared to the Fiji Cane Growers Association's 42 percent. The eight members nominated by the government and the two independent candidates hold the balance of power. Since the National Farmers Union is supported by the Government Party's main rival, the

Fiji Labour Party The Fiji Labour Party (FLP; fj, Ilawalawa Cakacaka ni Viti), also known as Fiji Labour, is a political party in Fiji. Most of its support is from the Indo-Fijian community, although it is officially multiracial and its first leader was an in ...

, government appointees to the Council have always been rivals of the National Farmers Union. On 27 December 2006,

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

commander

Commodore Commodore may refer to: Ranks * Commodore (rank), a naval rank ** Commodore (Royal Navy), in the United Kingdom ** Commodore (United States) ** Commodore (Canada) ** Commodore (Finland) ** Commodore (Germany) or ''Kommodore'' * Air commodore ...

Voreqe Bainimarama, who had taken power in a

military coup A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such ...

on 5 December, suspended

Jagannath Sami Jagannath Sami has been a soccer player representing a premier district side in the Fiji Football Association competitions, a leader of the sugar mill workers, a leader of a farmers' union, a politician and chief executive officer of the Sugar ...

, the chief executive, the council, and Chairman Vijendra Autar, citing abuse of office, misuse of funds, irregularities in the elections of the Board of Directors and $80,000 growers' funds being used without proper approval by board members who went on a recent trip to

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. Commodore Bainimarama also revoked the appointment of eight council members by the deposed government of

Laisenia Qarase Laisenia Qarase (pronounced ; 4 February 1941 – 21 April 2020) was a Fijian politician. He served as the sixth Prime Minister of Fiji from 2000 to 2006. After the military quashed the coup that led to the removal of Mahendra Chaudhry, Qarase ...

. On 31 March 2007, former Fiji Labour Party parliamentarian Jai Gawander was appointed as the new chief executive officer of the Council. The General Secretary of the Fiji Cane Growers Association, Bala Dass questioned why all the Fiji Labour Party members were being elected to run the affairs of the Sugar Cane Growers Council board. Dass said that the appointment was contrary to what the Interim Government was preaching.

List of chief executives

* Vijay R. Singh (1985–1987) * Grish Maharaj (1987–2000) *

(2000–2006) *

Jai Gawander Jai Shree Gawander is a Fijian civil servant and former politician of Indian descent. He was appointed the chief executive officer of the Sugar Cane Growers Council on 31 March 2007. He was previously a member of the House of Representatives an ...

(2007–2009) * Sundresh Chetty (2009–present)http://www.matavuvale.com/forum/topics/back-to-democracy-for-fiji?commentId=2150904%3AComment%3A1675556 Matavuvale Network

External links

SCGC – Sugar Cane Growers Council (Fiji) official site

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sugar Cane Growers Council Cane growers unions of Fiji 1985 establishments in Fiji Trade unions established in 1985