El-Nino dry spell threatens next season’s cane productivity

For better management of sugarcane during this El-Nino dry spell, sugarcane farmers around the country are advised to concentrate on timely supply of cane to mills.

Minister for Agriculture, Waterways and Sugar, Tomasi Tunabuna, said in order for farmers to manage their crops over this dry spell, timely supply remains priority.

Mr Tunabuna said for those farmers who would harvest late they would expect some challenges to maintain cane productivity next season.

"Simply because this El-Nino will expand into 2027 causing intense dry weather thus affecting easy recovery of sugarcane".

He believed farm management practices continued to be vital to ensure farmers had ample water sources and storage available to ensure sugarcane farming operations remained stable.

The ministry had its back-up plan to assist farmers if conditions worsened under El-Nino.

With the few months to end of the crushing, farmers are urged to maximise sending high number of sugarcane tonnage to mills to boost crushing targets.

When asked on cost associated with this El-Nino impacting farmers, the line minister, said cost varied across with the effective farms to ensure cost stability while ineffective farm planning would increase cost or expenses.

"The cost will be dependent on how well farmers are prepared to face El-Nino, if there are not prepared the cost will be high".

When asked on which division was worst impacted during this dry spell, inclusive of agricultural farms, Mr Tunabuna added the entire nation faced similar impacts.