April 20 cane payment is interim, not final, says Agriculture Minister

Sugarcane farmers waiting for their next payment will have to wait a little longer, says Minister for Agriculture Tomasi Tunabuna.

Mr Tunabuna said the amount farmers would receive on April 20 was not the final amount they were owed.

He was responding to concerns raised by farmers that the upcoming payment is less than in previous years.

Mr Tunabuna said the April 20 figure was an interim payment based on current prices, not the final settlement.

“Formulation of prices will include one payment that will come next year,” he said.

“We cannot say now the real amount that they will get. But their payment is based on the current price. It doesn’t mean that’s what we will pay them at the end.”

He pushed back on suggestions the payment was delayed, saying the ministry was managing multiple pressures at once.

“In terms of the delay of payment, I don’t think it’s a delay. We are just trying to handle the situation with respect to other things happening at the same time.”

This comes after Opposition MP Viam Pillay accused the Government of historic mismanagement of sugarcane payments.

He said it was the first time in the history of the Master Award — the legal agreement governing sugarcane payments — that farmers are facing such uncertainty.

Mr Pillay said banks and creditors were knocking on farmers’ doors, and called on Government to immediately announce a guaranteed price for the 2026 crushing season.

Feedback: kaneta.naimatau@fijisun.com.fj