A number of issues are attracting attention on the national front.
Sugar, it seems, can no longer be regarded as a sweetener, especially when we consider the uncertainty surrounding this year’s crushing season and the impact it is having on thousands of lives.
The latest public exchanges between key players in the industry show us a worrying picture.
Lautoka Cane Producers Association chairman Bala Dass had criticised National Farmers Union national secretary Mahendra Chaudhry, accusing him of influencing growers not to participate in the 2026 crushing season. Mr Dass argued that the biggest losers would be the farmers themselves, saying delaying harvesting would only deepen their hardship.
On the other side of the divide, Agriculture, Waterways and Sugar Minister Tomasi Tunabuna came under fire from former prime minister and NFU general secretary Mahendra Chaudhry, who insisted the minister should focus on resolving growers’ grievances instead of engaging in personal attacks.
Mr Chaudhry maintains that with the crushing season already delayed because some growers refuse to harvest until their concerns are addressed, Government’s attention should be on meaningful negotiations that allow the mills to begin operating. He argues that harvesting under current conditions, with low cane payments and rising fuel costs, would leave many farmers facing significant losses.
So, we have a situation where some growers remain steadfast in demanding an increase in the cane payment per tonne, while Government continues to stand by its current offer.
For now, Mr Tunabuna and the NFU remain at loggerheads after weeks of disagreement over cane prices, resulting in a grower boycott that threatens the 2026 crushing season.
Adding to the impasse are conflicting accounts over attempts at dialogue. The minister says he sought a meeting through the Sugar Cane Growers Council soon after taking office but received no response. Mr Chaudhry insists neither he nor the union received any formal invitation and says it was the union that repeatedly tried, without success, to engage the minister.
The NFU has also rejected Government’s claim that new initiatives have been introduced for cane farmers, arguing that assistance now just continues measures already introduced. It believes the guaranteed minimum cane price of $85 per tonne, set in 2018, should now be reviewed to reflect the rising costs of production.
In the face of that, Mr Tunabuna has warned that prolonged disruption to harvesting will have consequences far beyond the farms, affecting transport operators, mill workers, retailers and rural communities that rely on the industry.
For whatever it is worth, we say, let’s move beyond the blame game. The sugar industry has endured enough setbacks over the years without another season being overshadowed by division. Farmers deserve certainty, and the country needs a successful harvest. That will only happen if both sides return to the negotiating table with open minds and a genuine willingness to listen.
We say communication is the base for solutions. The livelihoods of thousands of Fijians depend on it, and we just can be living with this stalemate.
