Poor cane quality behind reduced sugar production: Agriculture Minister

Fiji Labour Party (FLP) leader Mahendra Chaudhry must acknowledge that poor-quality and unapproved sugarcane varieties are among the main reasons for reduced sugar production, says Minister for Agriculture, Waterways and Sugar Tomasi Tunabuna.

Mr Tunabuna was responding to criticism directed at the Fiji Sugar Corporation (FSC) and the Ministry over the high tonnes cane to tonnes sugar (TCTS) ratio of 13.2:1, compared with the previous 10:1 ratio.

This means 13.2 tonnes of sugarcane were needed to produce one tonne of sugar, which the FLP claimed reflected excessive wastage.

In an official FLP Facebook post, Mr Chaudhry claimed the excessive tonnage resulted in losses of about $34 million that could otherwise have been paid to farmers.

The former Prime Minister alleged FSC crushed 1.467 million tonnes of cane and produced 111,035 tonnes of sugar during the 2025 crushing season, contributing to the high TCTS ratio.

Mr Chaudhry said sugar production should have been closer to 146,718 tonnes to maintain a TCTS ratio of 10:1, adding the current figure remained unacceptable.

Mr Tunabuna said poor-quality and unapproved sugarcane varieties supplied to the three mills contributed to higher cane crushing volumes but lower sugar output, affecting farmers’ proceeds.

He said declining cane quality across all three mills had negatively impacted sugar production.

Mr Tunabuna also said external factors, including changing weather patterns, had contributed to lower sugar yields.

He said prolonged rainfall compared with sunny conditions reduced sugar content despite cane loads appearing sufficient in volume.

“For Labasa, we receive high numbers of unapproved sugarcane varieties being supplied, which must stop,” he said.

Mr Tunabuna encouraged farmers to supply green cane instead of burnt cane or unapproved varieties during the upcoming season.

“When unapproved or burnt cane is supplied, it affects mill operations and increases maintenance costs,” he said.

To boost farmer morale, the ministry continues to provide incentive payments for farmers who exceed their annual farm allotment targets.