14 Oct 2013

Fiji leader critical of EU treatment of ACP sugar nations

8:18 pm on 14 October 2013

The Fiji leader, Commodore Frank Bainimarama, has attacked the European Union for its treatment of the sugar producing nations of the African, Caribbean and Pacific group of nations.

Commodore Bainimarama, opening the 13th ACP Ministerial Conference on Sugar in Sigatoka, says the global environment for sugar is characterised by higher production costs and lower prices.

He says it means there is a need for understanding and a fair deal from the EU countries.

But the prime minster says sugar producers have been denied adequate support for the negotiations on the sugar protocol of the EU's Economic Partnership Agreements.

He says the negotiations have been long and drawn out with many non-trade issues tacked on.

Commodore Bainimarama says there is further uncertainty with the premature end to market access in 2017 which he says could prove disastrous for the livelihoods of many people in ACP countries.

He says the sugar producers wanted this pushed back to 2020 to allow for restructuring but this has been ignored by the EU.