The National Farmers Union (NFU) says cane farmers must be compensated for all standover cane left unmilled after the Rarawai Mill shuts down for the season on Monday, 12 January 2026.
NFU general secretary Mahendra Chaudhry said he had written as early as 18 December to the Minister for Sugar and the Fiji Sugar Corporation (FSC), urging them to consider ending the crush at Rarawai and compensating farmers for cane left standing due to extremely harsh harvesting conditions.
Chaudhry recommended compensation of $35 per tonne for standover cane, stressing that the difficulties faced by growers were not of their making.
He said the 2025 harvesting season placed severe pressure on farmers, resulting in major financial losses caused by milling failures and operational problems beyond growers’ control.
These challenges were compounded by the resumption of the Rarawai Mill in early December following a three-month shutdown due to a fire at its power station.
The fire occurred in mid-September, at the height of the harvesting season when weather conditions were ideal for cutting cane. Chaudhry said the shutdown disrupted harvesting plans and created a backlog that mills later struggled to manage.
He also questioned the decision to close the Lautoka Mill on 5 December, just a week before Rarawai resumed crushing. He said the closure placed undue pressure on Viti Levu growers, forcing them to send cane to the Ba Mill under difficult wet-season conditions and amid labour shortages as the festive season approached.
According to Chaudhry, the Rarawai Mill failed to cope with the influx of cane once operations resumed, as evidenced by FSC imposing a quota limit of 50 trucks per entry.
“Apart from the three-month closure of the Rarawai Mill, the overall operational efficiency of all three mills was below par in 2025. This is the main reason for the current chaos,” Chaudhry said.
“Farmers cannot continue to bear the burden of FSC’s failures.”
He also recalled assurances given by then Finance Minister Biman Prasad after the Rarawai Mill fire on 17 September, when Prasad and Sugar Minister Charan Jeath Singh visited the mill.
At the time, Prasad said every stick of cane would be milled, noting that the Lautoka Mill had capacity to handle cane from Sigatoka to Rakiraki and that the crushing season would be extended if needed.
Chaudhry said that promise was not fulfilled, leaving growers with losses. He said Government and FSC are now obligated to compensate farmers for all standover cane, estimated at about 85,000 tonnes.
