THE biggest losses in next year’s crushing season would be farmers that harvested their canes late, according to Minister for Agriculture, Waterways and Sugar Industry Tomasi Tunabuna.
He said many farmers had not listened to advice to harvest their cane early and had instead listened to some politicians.
“The farmers won’t be able to recover as the dry season continues early next year,” Mr Tunabuna said.
He said farmers who delayed harvesting could now struggle to recover their crops as the prolonged dry season continued.
“Only the farmers have the solutions. This is why we had warned farmers to cut their cane early.”
He said the decision to delay harvesting could have consequences for growers heading into the 2027 crushing season.
The Labasa Mill crushed 469,483 tonnes of sugarcane and produced 51,451 tonnes of sugar during the 2026 crushing season.
The mill recorded a tonnes of cane to tonnes of sugar (TCTS) ratio of 9:1.
He said Labasa received the lowest tonnage of cane with 2027 expected to be the toughest years for farmers.
Sugar cane trucks that delivered their cane to the Labasa Mill before the end of crushing last week.
Picture: NACANIELI TUILEVUKA
