Prime Minister and Minister for Sugar Voreqe Bainimarama says they have made steady investment on Lautoka Sugar Mill and now have high expectations for its performance this year.
While launching the 2019 crushing season in Lautoka today, Bainimarama says they have already undertaken refurbishment of the mill’s diffuser last year and this year they will be upgrading Lautoka Sugar Mill’s ability to prevent juice overflows.
Bainimarama says a new $1 million electronic control system has been installed for the cane carrier saving time and money over the previous manual control process.
He also commissioned the 14 new rail cage bins at the Lautoka sugar mill worth about $650,000 and this has been funded by the European Union.
Bainimarama says this will increase the productivity of the Lautoka sugar mill.
Lautoka Sugar Mill crushed over 630,000 tonnes of cane last season and Bainimarama says this year they are looking to beat this figure not only because of they have modernized the Lautoka sugar mill but because of the commitment to every aspect of the sugar industry.
He says this year they have allocated $70.4 million to support the Sugar Industry, an increase of $8 million from the last financial year.
He says that despite the fact that the National Budget entered a period of fiscal consolidation, they have not cut a single dollar from the support they are giving to the Sugar Industry.
He has assured cane farmers that government will continue to fund the guaranteed cane price of $85 per tonne.
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