Sixteen sugarcane farms in Lautoka are infested by termites, according to the Sugar Research Institute of Fiji (SRIF).

The SRIF said it was well aware of the termite problem and its biology and it has been closely monitoring the infested farms in Lautoka that are confined to the Drasa, Lovu and Lautoka sectors.

It said a survey on the termite infestation was carried out jointly with the Biosecurity Authority of Fiji in 2014 and the number of infested farms recorded in the survey was 45.

“The number of infested farms has declined over the years with the use of bait traps from 45 to 16 farms in 2018,” said the SRIF.

The SRIF said this in response to comments by Indian businessman and farmer, Jatinder Singh in the Fiji Sun this week on how the termites can be controlled.

In a statement, SRIF said it was conducting trials with another chemical (attrathor) on farms that had not benefited from the initial management program.

“Attrathor has to be sprayed on the farm after harvest and this year one farm has been sprayed which is being monitored now. More farms will be sprayed after they are harvested,” it said.

The SRIF said it has been working closely with farmers in the affected zone.

“The aim of the management program using the pesticides is to minimise the population of the termites without causing any damage to the environment and the sugarcane.

“Termites thrive in moist conditions such as river banks with dense vegetation and on decomposing logs.

“These conditions are present in the cane belt areas and farmers are advised to destroy the breeding grounds.”

The SRIF said it met with BAF and discussed conducting another survey Fiji wide to know the current termite status.

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