Qarase confident of sugar board

Fuji Times - Fuji Islands - Thursday 20 April 2006

CARETAKER Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase is confident the new board of directors for the Fiji Sugar Corporation will be able to see the restructure of the sugar industry to completion.

He was commenting on statements by two farmers' organisations that called for the re-appointment of the FSC's outgoing directors.

"The directors were appointed in a general meeting," Mr Qarase said.

"The company is an independent one registered under the Company Act.

"It must have followed the rules of the game and I'm sure we have a very competent board, whose members are familiar with the industry," he said.

Five new directors were appointed and two were re-appointed following an extraordinary meeting in Lautoka last week.

National Farmers Union president Jain Kumar said outgoing chairman Ross McDonald and outgoing member Rasheed Ali should have been retained.