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Hemp solution ruled out
Fiji Times | 07/26/2005

THE Government is not considering industrial hemp as an alternative crop to sugar, said Agriculture Minister Ilaitia Tuisese.

He said while there were a lot of discussions on it, industrial hemp was not on the list of alternative crops farmers could make money from.

Mr Tuisese who was leading a ministerial group that was promoting alternative livelihood project, said people needed to be educated on what it was all about.

Alternative livelihood project is a project funded by the Asia Development Bank to help sugar cane farmers when sugar prices decline.

Mr Tuisese said if people could abuse marijuana and commit all sorts of crimes as well as ending up in Saint Giles Hospital, there was no need to think about industrial hemp.

"If it's killing people and taking them to Saint Giles, I don't see any reason why it should be legalised," he said.

He said legalising marijuana was far from reality, if people continue to abuse it. "It's going to be the end of the day, if we legalise it." He said despite the money generated from the illegal selling of marijuana, people's lives were more important and the Government does not want to create a big mistake of legalising it.

Mr Tuisese said his ministry had been to villages that were earning revenue through the sales of marijuana and encourage them to grow alternate crops like vanilla and other big crops. The Ministry of Agriculture is working closely with the Fiji Sugar Corporation to look for alternative crops and investment to sustain farmers' earnings and livelihood.

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