Sugar mills ready as ministry targets fewer breakdowns

The Ministry of Sugar has completed mill preparatory works at all three centres — Labasa, Lautoka and Ba — with the aim of minimising breakdowns during the 2026 crushing season.

Minister for Sugar Tomasi Tunabuna made the remarks during the Prime Minister’s Sugarcane Farmers Mill Awards programme in Labasa yesterday.

Mr Tunabuna said the season was expected to begin without major challenges, while a feasibility study would also be conducted to identify issues affecting sugar production.

He said the study would help the ministry develop strategies and solutions to minimise future losses and challenges affecting the industry.

“The sugar industry will survive; we just need to be resilient in our efforts to revive it,” he said.

Mr Tunabuna said farmers must work collaboratively to help the Fiji Sugar Corporation (FSC) achieve mill targets, with an emphasis on supplying green cane instead of burnt or unapproved varieties.

Sugar Cane Growers Fund chief executive officer Raj Sharma commended the FSC Labasa mill for being the best-performing mill in the country and contributing 33 per cent to national sugar production.

Mr Sharma said the achievement reflected the efforts of farmers who continued supplying strong cane tonnage to the Labasa mill.

Farmers warned over misinformation

Sugarcane farmers are being urged to avoid relying on non-mainstream social media pages and accounts for sugar industry information, Mr Tunabuna said.

He said some politicians had used social media platforms such as Facebook to create confusion among farmers regarding low payouts and delayed payments.

The ministry confirmed a fourth cane payment of $12.84, which is expected to be disbursed to farmers in the coming days.

Mr Tunabuna said he would meet sugarcane farmers around the country in the coming weeks to better understand grassroots issues affecting the sector.