THE current cane payment of $85 per tonne is not enough to sustain sugarcane farmers as rising operational costs continue to eat into their earnings, says Bucaisau farmer in Macuata Firoz Ali.
Mr Ali, who manages two cane farms and produces about 400 tonnes of cane, said farmers were left with little to no profit after paying harvesting, transport and land preparation costs.
He said mechanical harvesting alone costed him $18.90 per tonne, amounting to about $7560 to harvest the crop.
“In addition to harvesting costs, I also have to pay for transporting cane from the farm to the mill, which costs around $15 per tonne,”he said.
Mr Ali said transport expenses alone totalled about $6000, excluding other major costs such as ploughing, fertilisers and farm maintenance.
“This is why we are calling for an increase in the cane price from $85 to $110 per tonne because after paying for everything, most of us are left with nothing.”
He said the burden was even greater for farmers who relied on manual labour instead of mechanical harvesters.
“These farmers had to hire labourers and cover the cost of transporting and feeding them throughout the crushing season.
He said transporting workers to farms could cost as much as $80 for a trip, while meals for labourers could cost at least $150 a day.
