Ministry of Sugarcane Industry is urging all sugarcane farmers to plant approved varieties of sugarcane in the 2023/2024 season and to refrain from planting unapproved varieties.
They say after random field visits, it has been noticed that some farmers are planting unapproved varieties of sugarcane which the Ministry and the Fiji Sugar Corporation Limited strongly advise against.
The Ministry says farmers need to be informed that the Ministry of Sugar Industry will not take any responsibility for the unapproved varieties of sugarcane planted as a new crop for the 2023/2024 planting season, and farmers will not get access to grants provided by the Ministry for those farms.
They also advise farmers to plant sugarcane varieties that are approved by the Sugar Research Institute of Fiji as these varieties have been tested based on their quality, resilience, yield potential, and overall suitability to the soil and adaptability to Fiji’s climatic conditions.
The Ministry says the approved variety of sugarcane can be obtained from the Ministry of Sugar Industry Office, Fiji Sugar Corporation, Ministry of Sugar and Sugar Research Institute of Fiji.
