PRIME Minister Sitiveni Rabuka has assured sugarcane farmers that the Government will review industry operating costs and consider possible payment adjustments, as growers were urged not to delay harvesting while weather conditions remain favourable.
Speaking during the Parliamentary Sugar Select Committee meeting in Rakiraki yesterday, Mr Rabuka said the committee would examine figures provided by farmers and the Fiji Sugar Corporation (FSC) before determining whether further assistance could be provided.
“We will take it very seriously. As I mentioned to you, the Government, before the harvesting season started, announced $85 as the guaranteed minimum price,” he said.
Mr Rabuka stressed that the $85 represented a guaranteed floor price designed to protect growers while the committee assessed the industry’s financial position.
“Minimum means the floor price, so do not be discouraged. We have heard you.
“We will go back. We will sit at the table and make the calculations using the figures that you have given us and the figures that the miller will give us, and we will come back, hopefully with better news for you and for us and for Fiji.”
Following the assurance, Rakiraki farmer Sakiusa Kaitani called on fellow growers to begin harvesting without delay, saying many had already finalised labour and transport arrangements.
“Please, some of us have already signed the MOGA,” he said.
“While the weather is good, please harvest your cane.”
Mr Rabuka said the consultations were intended to address industry-wide concerns and ensure long-term support for Fiji’s sugar sector.
Rabuka explains global pressures
RISING costs affecting Fiji’s sugar industry cannot be viewed in isolation, Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka told farmers as he explained how global economic pressures were now directly influencing local businesses, production costs and household expenses.
Speaking at the opening of the Parliamentary Sugar Select Committee meeting on sugar at the GS Raj Hall in Rakiraki yesterday, Mr Rabuka said growers needed to understand the wider international environment shaping Fiji’s economy.
He acknowledged that farmers were facing increasing financial pressures but said many of the challenges were linked to factors beyond Fiji’s control, including international shipping costs, maritime security and global supply chain disruptions.
“We ask you to understand the situation that the world is in, therefore Fiji is also in, much more so than the rest of the stronger parts of the world,” he said.
Mr Rabuka said Fiji’s reliance on imported goods and overseas trade routes meant global disruptions had a direct impact on prices at supermarkets, businesses and farms.
He recognised the critical role sugarcane farmers played in supporting Fiji’s economy, and added that while Government understood the challenges faced by growers, financial support measures had to be considered against available national revenue and resources.
The committee will be meeting with sugarcane growers throughout the Western Division this week in light of the various issues raised by farmers, namely the call to increase the cane guarantee price to $110 and the recent subsidies accorded by government to assist farmers which most agree is barely enough to cover operational costs.
Call for overhaul at FSC
A COMPLETE overhaul of the Fiji Sugar Corporation’s management structure is urgently needed to rescue an industry that has been declining for the past decade, farmer Joe Cagi says.
Speaking at a Parliamentary Sugar Select Committee meeting in Rakiraki, Mr Cagi called for a “footing to roofing” restructure, saying the sector could be revived with the right leadership and approach.
He thanked the Government for its support that had helped sustain farmers through difficult times.
Mr Cagi also raised concerns about the imbalance between FSC’s large workforce and smaller grower support agencies, urging decision-makers to focus on the hallenges faced by cane farmers.
He urged those in decisionmaking positions to remember the daily struggles of the people supplying the raw product.
Mr Cagi said securing land leases and strengthening engagement with landowners would be critical to ensuring the industry’s long-term survival.
