Parliament agrees to establish Special Committee on Sugar Industry

Parliament has unanimously agreed to establish a Special Committee on the Sugar Industry to undertake a comprehensive review and provide strategic recommendations for its transformation and long-term sustainability.

The Committee is required to report to Parliament during the November sitting.

The Special Committee will be chaired by Prime Minister, Sitiveni Rabuka.

Members will include Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Professor Biman Prasad, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism Viliame Gavoka, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Co-operatives Manoa Kamikamica, Minister for Sugar and Multi-Ethnic Affairs Charan Jeath Singh, Leader of Opposition Inia Seruiratu, a member designated by the Leader of the Opposition, and Minister for Policing Ioane Naivalurua.

While tabling the motion, Prime Minister Rabuka said it arises from the 2025–2026 National Budget address delivered by Deputy Prime Minister Biman Prasad, who had announced the formation of such a committee as a necessary step forward.

Rabuka stressed that this is not merely a procedural motion but an urgent measure to safeguard the livelihoods of thousands of Fijians, restore confidence in the sugar industry, and secure its future. He noted that the sugar industry began 149 years ago and has long been a pillar of the Fijian economy.

He said the industry not only defined the colonial era and the birth of independent Fiji, but continues to shape the nation today.

The Prime Minister revealed that about $72 million has been allocated to the Ministry of Multi-Ethnic Affairs and the Sugar Industry.

He says it is now time to re-evaluate the sugar industry and work together to find solutions that will restore its former glory and ensure it remains economically viable and beneficial to all stakeholders.