Farmers face rising costs as 2026 sugar season begins

Sugarcane farmers in the North are heading into the 2026 harvesting season under mounting financial pressure, with rising costs, labour expenses and weather uncertainty threatening returns.

Harvesting will begin next Wednesday, June 17, with the Fiji Sugar Corporation’s Labasa Mill scheduled to start crushing on the same day.

As preparations intensify across cane-growing areas, farmers say increasing household and farming costs are making it harder to sustain operations despite the approaching season.

Sumeet Deo, a sugarcane farmer from Tabucola, Labasa, said higher fuel prices, grocery bills and labour costs were already straining farming families.

"If we hire labour, it's costly and in this economy we do not have much money to balance everything," Mr Deo said.

He said the rising cost of groceries and maintaining cane camps was adding further strain on farming families.

"We are already feeling the squeeze of everything. However, we have to be prepared from next week as the mills will start operating," he said.

Another sugarcane farmer, Parveen Lal, said unpredictable weather remained a major concern ahead of the crushing season, particularly after last year's heavy rains and flooding.

"Last year we experienced heavy rains and floods. I am worried about this year," Mr Lal said.

He said farmers were often at the mercy of weather conditions but had no choice except to prepare for harvesting.

"We cannot control the forces of nature, but we have to be prepared," Mr Lal said.

Despite the challenges, he said farmers remained under increasing financial pressure because of rising production costs.

"Times are hard and we are squeezed from all sides. Farmers like us have very little left after covering all the overheads," he said.

With the crushing season about to begin, farmers across Labasa are racing to ready their fields, secure labour and organise transport while navigating the growing economic challenges.