CALLS have been made for the establishment of a sug-ar industry disaster resp-onse strategy in partnership with the National Disaster Management Off-ice and the divisional commissioners.
The call by the Interna-tional Union for the Cons-ervation of Nature and Fiji Lands Information System comes in the wake of findings compiled in a report after a comprehensive stu-dy on the economic impact of the flood on the sugar industry this year.
In its recommendations at industry level, both bodies have stated that to minimise the risk of regular floods, the industry needs to 'go back to the future' and ensure farmers adopt appropriate farm management and practices that minimise farm-level soil erosion, including a ban of agricultural development on slopes greater than eight degrees under the Soil Conservation Act.
They have further recommended that the maintenance of key infrastructure, main and arterial drains and infield drains, and old Colonial Sugar Ref-inery drains be re-established.