There is good news for sugarcane farmers, as the 2025 sugarcane crushing season has officially begun at the Lautoka Sugar Mill.
While speaking at the launch of the crushing season, Minister for Sugar Industry, Charan Jeath Singh praised the Lautoka Mill for playing a key role in the industry.
He says the mill is the industrial heart of sugar production in the West and a proud symbol of Fiji’s economic resilience, agricultural heritage, and community strength.
He says that in 2024, the Lautoka Mill processed 368,260 tonnes of cane, which produced 31,403 tonnes of sugar and 18,403 tonnes of molasses.
He says they expect to crush 1.5 million tonnes of cane this year, which is an increase of 200,000 tonnes.
The Minister adds that if this trend continues, they could increase cane production by 1 million tonnes over the next five years—from 1.3 million to 2.3 million tonnes.
He also outlined several government-led support programmes that aim to reduce production costs and boost productivity; these include the Farmers’ Incentive Programme, the Manual Labour Subsidy, the Infield Drainage Programme, and the Cane Access Road and Sugar Development Initiative.
Singh says the government is using these efforts as part of a broader plan to cut costs, increase productivity, and make sugarcane farming a more attractive and sustainable source of income.
The Minister also urged cane growers to increase their own production, saying that the more sugarcane they grow, the more support the Ministry can offer.
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