Fiji has suffered over $1 billion loss in sugar industry due to climate change – Sugar Minister

Over the past decades, Fiji has suffered over $1 billion in financial losses in the sugar industry alone due to climate change.

Minister for Sugar Industry, Charan Jeath Singh highlighted this during the COP29 meeting which focused on sector-based green transitions.

Singh says Fiji’s sugar industry is a source of livelihood for over 10,000 farmers, but has been hit hard by climate change induced challenges.

The Minister says the sugar mills, which were the backbone of the economy, have been devastated by category 5 cyclones and farmers are facing increased heat stress, saltwater intrusion and unpredictable rainfall.

Singh outlined Fiji’s plans to transform the sugar industry into the renewable energy sector by developing sugar-based biofuels, such as ethanol, which can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 90 percent.

He has urged the other developed countries to accelerate the green transition in both urban and rural sectors to meet urgent climate targets of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees celsius.

He has also called for urgent and equitable action on climate finance, stressing that the green transition cannot be the preserve of rich countries alone.