Minister for Multi-Ethnic Affairs and Sugar Industry, Charan Jeath Singh, has assured Parliament that farmers, cane cutters, and transport operators affected by the Rarawai Mill fire have received both financial and non-monetary support to ease the disruption caused by the incident.
Responding to a written question from Opposition MP Viam Pillay, Mr. Singh said the fire caused “significant disruption to harvesting and transportation operations in the Rarawai mill sectors, affecting cane cutters, lorry owners, and co-operatives.”
He said the Ministry, in collaboration with the Fiji Sugar Corporation (FSC) and the Sugar Cane Growers Council, has been working closely to minimise the impact through a combination of targeted interventions.
Impact on cane cutters
Prior to the fire, 380 gangs were operational with around 2,964 cane cutters. Following the incident, 71 gangs were directly affected, forcing 532 cutters to leave midway through the harvesting season.
“As of now, 355 gangs remain operational with approximately 2,485 cutters, as some have resumed work under remedial arrangements,” Mr. Singh said.
He added that about 18,000 tonnes of cane remain impacted due to the shortage of labour. To address this, “FSC and the Ministry have mobilized mechanical harvesters and labour from neighbouring sectors, including the Lautoka Mill area, to support harvesting continuity,” he said.
Impact on lorry owners and drivers
Before the incident, 503 lorries were engaged in cane transport, but currently only 442 remain active.
“About 60 lorries are temporarily out of operation due to poor roadworthiness and the longer haulage distance to the Lautoka Mill,” Mr. Singh said. “The active lorries are currently operating at about 35–40 percent capacity, which is consistent with the reduced crushing requirements.”
Impact on co-operatives
Thirty-six co-operatives were active before the fire, and 30 continue to operate daily, albeit at reduced capacity.
“These co-operatives are operating at around 35–40 percent capacity but have ensured continuity of operations despite the constraints caused by the mill outage,” the Minister said.
Mr. Singh said two key financial measures have been implemented to cushion affected growers which were a cane transfer allowance of $15 per tonne has been approved to help growers transporting cane from the Rarawai Mill area to the Lautoka Mill.
Also a Rail Growers’ Conversion Allowance to support rail growers converting to lorry transport, with the additional costs “fully absorbed by the Fiji Sugar Corporation (FSC).”
“These interventions ensure that growers are not burdened by unexpected costs arising from circumstances beyond their control,” he said.
In addition to financial aid, the Ministry and FSC have provided logistical and operational assistance.
“These include the deployment of mechanical harvesters, redistribution of cutters from unaffected sectors, and reallocation of logistics and transport resources from Rarawai to Lautoka,” Mr. Singh said.
He added that “continuous coordination between FSC, the Growers Council, contractors, and co-operatives is ensuring the efficient movement of cane and minimizing delays.”
