Farmers warn labour shortage threatens sugar industry's recovery

Fiji's sugar industry is facing a worsening labour shortage, with cane farmers warning that rising harvesting costs and a lack of workers are threatening the industry's recovery.

Farmers say harvesting rates have climbed from about $20 a tonne in previous years to between $35 and $40 a tonne this crushing season.

Many are travelling across Vanua Levu to recruit workers, while others are turning to mechanical harvesters at additional cost.

Wailevu farmer Hemandra Prasad said finding labourers had become one of the biggest challenges facing cane farmers.

The 46-year-old, who harvests about 344 tonnes of cane from his eight-acre farm, said rising labour costs were placing enormous pressure on growers.

"Apart from the wages, I have to provide accommodation for the labourers and their wives, who cook for them while they work on the farm," Mr Prasad said.

"I also have to pay for their electricity and water and provide fish and yaqona on weekends because they request it."

Tabucola farmer Rajesh Prasad said finding labourers in Labasa had become increasingly difficult.

"These days the younger generation do not want to work as sugarcane labourers, so we have to recruit adults from villages as far away as Bua and Buca Bay," Mr Prasad said.

He said some labourers arrived with their families, requiring farmers to provide accommodation and, in some cases, pay transport costs so workers could visit relatives in their villages.

The shortage had made it harder to harvest cane on time and increased production costs, forcing some farmers to hire mechanical harvesters instead.

National Farmers Union president Surendra Lal said the labour shortage had persisted for decades and remained one of the industry's biggest challenges.

"That is why the Government introduced mechanical harvesters. If you go to the Labasa mill, you will see that only mechanically harvested cane is being loaded onto trucks," Mr Lal said.

He said delays to the start of the crushing season also created uncertainty for labourers, prompting many to return to their villages while waiting for harvesting to begin.

"The bitter truth is that mechanical harvesters can only be used on flat land, so farmers on hilly terrain are at a disadvantage," he said.

Mr Lal said wages had never been regulated because there was no legislation governing cane-cutting rates. Instead, payments were determined through agreements between farmers and labourers.

He also said sugarcane labourers lacked job security, while farmers were not recognised as workers under existing employment arrangements.

Minister for Sugar and Agriculture Tomasi Tunabuna said he was aware of the labour shortage and thanked northern farmers who had continued harvesting despite the challenges.

"We are still trying to help sugarcane farmers understand the current situation. Some are taking time to decide whether to harvest, especially in the West," Mr Tunabuna said.

"We all have to be part of the solution. The sugar industry has received significant Government support over the years."

Mr Tunabuna again encouraged farmers to diversify their income and acknowledged those in Vanua Levu who had already done so.

Vanua Levu Cane Harvesters and Lorries Association general secretary Mohammed Rafiq said cooperatives and private operators were providing mechanical harvesting services at the approved rate of $24.63 a tonne for the 2026 crushing season.

Minister for Employment, Productivity and Workplace Relations Agni Deo Singh confirmed there was no legislation regulating the wages of sugarcane labourers.

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