SUGAR industry stakeholders informed canegrowers who attended consultations in Tavua earlier this week there were no longer any provisions for goodwill payments to landowners when renewing leases.
Acting Sugar Cane Growers Council CEO Sundresh Chetty said if growers trying to renew a lease are asked to pay goodwill, the matter should immediately be reported to the Sugar Ministry.
"This is a serious issue because all payments and transactions have to be conducted with the iTaukei Land Trust Board and not with landowners directly.
"If any grower is asked to pay goodwill, we urge them to report the matter immediately to the ministry," he said.
Mr Chetty was part of a team that included representatives of the FSC, Sugar Research Institute of Fiji and Sugar Cane Growers Fund that conducted consultations in the West over the past two weeks.
While the forum was primarily designed to educate growers about the soon-to-be-introduced cane quality payment system, industry stakeholders also used the consultations to address issues from cane-growing communities.