Bangladeshis Bring New Cane Cutting Technique
Mr Kumar said the workers explained that a stockpiling method was common in their country because it reduced damage to the cane and eased the loading process.
Monday 21 July 2025 | 06:26
Permanent Secretary for Sugar Vinesh Kumar (seventh from right), with Bangladeshi workers. Photo: Waisea Nasokia
The Bangladeshi workers bring efficient cane-cutting, says the Permanent Secretary for Sugar, Vinesh Kumar.
He made the remark in Rakiraki last week after seeing a group of Bangladeshis who are in Fiji as foreign workers.
They work in the construction sector during the week and harvest sugarcane on weekends.
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They were harvesting former minister, George Shiu Raj’s sugar cane last week.
Mr Kumar said the workers explained that a stockpiling method was common in their country because it reduced damage to the cane and eased the loading process.
“It was refreshing to see a different technique being applied in our own fields,” said Mr Kumar.
“These foreign workers, though engaged primarily in construction, were bringing with them a harvesting practice rooted in their homeland, and it appears to be organised and effective.”
He said harvested sugarcane were piled in small heaps, or stockpiles and neatly scattered across the field.
It appeared to be an unconventional method of cane arrangement compared to the Fijian practice where harvested sugarcane were laid across rows for trucks to drive through and collect.
“These heaps were uniformly spaced in piles across the field, awaiting manual loading.”
Mr Kumar this highlighted how the Fijian sugar industry continued to evolve through homegrown innovation and cross-cultural exchange.
He said temporary and foreign labour had become important to keep farms operational during harvest season.
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