THE temporary closure of the Labasa Sugar Mill over the weekend disrupted harvesting plans for cane farmers waiting to deliver their crops.
Vakasigani farmer Nagab Reddy said the mill suffered a breakdown on Saturday before closing on Sunday for scheduled cleaning, forcing many growers to delay deliveries.
“We started harvesting on Saturday, but the mill broke down and we had to stop,” he said.
Mr Reddy said the disruption meant lorries already loaded with cane were unable to unload at the mill, making it difficult for other farmers to access transport.
“We couldn’t get a lorry because they were already loaded. We had to wait for the mill to start again.”
He said only farmers who already had access to lorries were able to continue transporting cane during the disruption, while others had to suspend harvesting.
Mr Reddy said the delay came at a critical stage of the crushing season when growers were trying to harvest as much cane as possible before further interruptions or poor weather.
He said any disruption to mill operations affected harvesting schedules and increased pressure on farmers, contractors and transport operators.
He hoped there would be fewer breakdowns during the remainder of the crushing season so farmers could deliver their cane without unnecessary delays.
