Opposition MP Viam Pillay has warned that cane farmers across Fiji are approaching the start of the 2026 crushing season with growing anxiety, claiming many growers and harvesting operators are facing severe financial pressure from rising costs and inadequate industry support.
Speaking on the challenges facing the sugar sector, Pillay said the concerns stretch across the country’s cane belt, from Labasa and Seaqaqa in the north to Rakiraki, Tavua, Ba, Lautoka and Sigatoka in the west.
“I have been a farmer my whole life, and I know the pride we take in getting our cane to the mill. But today, that pride is turning into anxiety,” Pillay said.
“We are talking about the livelihoods of tens of thousands of families whose very lives depend on this industry.”
Pillay argued that the current pricing framework does not reflect the realities facing farmers and harvesting contractors in 2026, particularly with rising fuel prices and inflation.
“The system is broken, and the FCCC is playing a dangerous game. They are setting prices based on data from yesterday while we are living in the reality of 2026,” he said.
He pointed to the increasing cost of diesel, which currently stands at $4.58 per litre, and claimed harvesting operators are struggling to remain viable after loan repayments and operating costs are taken into account.
“After the FDB takes their mandatory $14 a tonne for loan repayments, the operator is left with $6 to cover everything — fuel, parts, repairs and the crew,” Pillay said.
“With diesel now at $4.58 a litre, that $6 does not even cover the fuel to harvest a single tonne. You cannot run an industry on math that does not add up.”
The Opposition MP also criticised what he described as a lack of oversight and urgency from regulatory authorities and Government agencies.
“We are asking for strong, decisive leadership, but we are not seeing it. We are seeing delay after delay while the Ministry’s own fuel subsidy proposal sits gathering dust in a Cabinet meeting,” he said.
Pillay is calling on Government and the Fijian Competition and Consumer Commission to review harvesting rates and provide fuel rebates to harvesting operators and transport providers before the crushing season begins.
“We need the Cabinet to approve the fuel rebate immediately and we need a harvesting rate that reflects the reality of 2026, not 2022,” he said.
He also warned that fuel prices could rise further in the coming months and said any final pricing decision should account for future volatility.
Despite the growing frustration among growers and operators, Pillay urged farmers not to boycott the harvest, warning that such action could cause further damage to the struggling industry.
“To my fellow farmers and operators, I hear your frustration, and I know how tempting it is to just walk away. But do not boycott,” he said.
“That will only give them an excuse to finish off our industry for good. We have to stand together, keep the pressure on these authorities, and demand the fair, honest leadership we deserve.”
Pillay said the future of Fiji’s sugar industry depends on immediate action to address the rising cost pressures facing farmers and harvesting operators before the 2026 crushing season gets underway.
