The Sugar Research Institute of Fiji Limited has strongly reacted to an increased number of deliberate sugarcane field fires recently, which it has described as reckless and criminal, reports FBC News.
SRIF Chief Executive Dr Vinesh Kumar has warned the incidents to have dire consequences which impact not only the affected farmers but also the entire sugarcane sector. Dr Kumar said vital research data has been lost in the fires, which has not been quantified in monetary terms.
“We lose months or even years of scientific research. This hampers improvement in the sector citing credible changes,” Dr Kumar said.
He further explained that the loss of information brought about by only one case of arson could be very harmful, claiming, “One fire can erase invaluable research in seconds, setting back progress and harming the future of the sector.”
SRIF asked the community to be vigilant and inform the authorities immediately if they saw any suspicious movement.
