By LITIA MATHEWSELL
Two weeks away from the cane crushing season and seemingly deliberate cases of farm fires continue to hit the optimism of farmers in Togolavusa in the interior of Nadi.
Police are investigating a Sunday night inferno that razed 30 tonnes of sugar cane at a farm belonging to Parvind Kumar in Togolavusa.
“Another cane farm was also set on fire here last year, just before the crushing season,’’ he said.
It’s a huge blow for the father of four, who returned to renew the lease of his Togolavusa farm after a ten year break and had banked on these earnings to also support his elderly mother.
“I live a short distance from the farm and received a call from neighbours that it was on fire around 7:30pm Sunday,’’ he recalled.
“I rushed over and we managed to put the blaze out with gallons of water. The cane that burnt was nearing maturity for the harvesting season and we only managed to save two lorry loads of sugarcane.”
Police have already raked the scene and begun investigations.
Mr Kumar said he supported the efforts of the Fiji Sugar Corporation in encouraging farmers around the country but was upset over what he suspects to be the malice of envious hooligans.
Cane farmer Parvind Kumar (centre) at his razed farm in Togolavusa, Nadi, with neighbours Kaminieli Turaga and Surend Kumar. Photo:LITIA MATHEWSELL