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Fiji's Sugar Cane Growers Council (SCGC) chief executive Surendra Sharma resigned as chairman of financially-troubled South Pacific Fertilisers (SPF) today.
He said he received a letter from the chief executive of the Fiji Sugar Corporation (FSC) Deo Saran in response to his letter on February 27 as SPF’s board chairman seeking direction from shareholders on SPF’s financial situation.
In the letter, Saran said Sharma had appeared to have lost any neutrality on the issue of financially assisting SPF and had instead taken the role of lobbyist for the farmers.
In his letter to Sharma, Saran said” “As a shareholder and key stakeholder in the sugar industry, we believe the only sustainable way forward for SPF is a solution that is based on commercial principles”.
He said: “The PIB’s stance to a price increase spread over five years is irreconcilable. How can the PIB expect SPF to sell below cost? It is therefore incumbent on the SPF board to insist on an appropriate price increase from PIB.”
He added: “Perhaps, PIB’s position has come about by your desire not to pass on the full cost of fertiliser to the customers, that, the growers”.
“As a shareholder in SPF, the Corporation views this statement as unacceptable from the chairman of SPF as in your role as chairman, you are there to protect the interest of all shareholders.”
Sharma said he was offended by the FSC’s response.
“The contents of the letter from FSC is highly offensive to me both personally and in my capacity as a newly elected member and chairman of the board who has used his best professional competences to try to salvage the company from impending crisis and collapse,” Sharma said.
“I now leave it to the remaining members of the board to decide the next course of action and draw attention to the fact that the general manager is out of the country and a new chairman must be in place without delay,” he said.
Last month, Sharma had resigned from the position of SCGC chief executive citing frustrations over zero powers by stakeholders to tackle serious ills facing the ailing industry.
He later withdrew his resignation the same month after he was approached to reconsider his position reasoning he was compelled to assist farmers in Fiji and that he could not abandon them at their hour of need.
