By SHEIK DEAN
The two new varieties of sugar cane identified for planting is a result of 10 years dedication by the team at the Sugar Research Institute of Fiji.
Research officer at the Institute Prem Naidu said a further five-year research work would still be undertaken, after the first harvest, to be able to fully understand the advantages the new varieties have for the cane farmers.
For 25 years, Mr Naidu has been part of the Institute and has been working with the team on the plant breeding programme.
This 15-year programme had churned out 17 varieties of cane already and the two new varieties make it the eighteenth and nineteenth variety.
The feedback
The institute is running a feedback programme- the Farmer Feel Effect-whereby farmers are given the new varieties to experiment and have their views on which variety is best suited for them.
“The new varieties were planted in medium fertile and poor soils with feedback from farmers so far have been positive but it’s the tonnage which will determine the quality,” Naidu said.
According to the Institute, when compared to the Mana variety of cane, these two varieties give a better return in terms of tonnage.
“These two varieties have been exclusively bred in Fiji.
“Since Fiji is moving towards cane quality payment farmers and for farmers to supply matured cane a mixture of these two varieties will give farmers and the sugar industry good revenue,” added Mr Naidu.
He said that the new varieties were given to selected seven different farmers in the Western Division last year and the Institute would be getting a feedback after the 2013 harvesting season.