Revitalising the sugar sector will not happen overnight, says Minister for Sugar Charan Jeath Singh.
And he blames the previous government for the decline of the industry.
“In 2006, before the takeover, Fiji’s sugar industry produced 4.2 million tonnes of cane,” Mr Singh said.
While speaking at the opening of the Ministry of Multi Ethnic and Sugar office in Labasa, he said sugar production had dropped to 3.2 million tonnes in the last 14 years.
“The sector had not been adequately managed, leading to further decline.”
To address this, he said, Government had rolled out 14 different programs, which many farmers were taking advantage of.
“Our goal is to bring production back to 3.5 million tonnes in the next five to seven years.”
He said a team of engineers from China recently assessed Fiji’s three sugar mills and would soon provide recommendations on their improvement.
“We expect their advice in the coming weeks.
He said at least $50 million had been poured into the 14 different programs.
