Fiji Sugar Corporation has announced the dates for the start of the next crushing season for the three sugar mills in Fiji.
The Labasa Mill will begin its crushing season on the 6th of next month, Lautoka Mill will start crushing on the 13th of next month while Rarawai Mill will start its crushing on the 25th of next month.
Meanwhile, FSC has also announced that cane production is on the rise after Tropical Cyclone Winston as last year a total of 5,259 hectares of land was used for sugar cane farming compared to 4,299 hectares used in 2017 and 2,604 hectares in 2016. Although grower numbers remain around 11,500, hectares planted have increased.
FSC CEO Graham Clark says this is because of the combination of good support from the government, better technical support offered by their Field teams and the extended support from all the industry stakeholders.
According to FSC,, Government financial support totaled $24.2 million in 2016 which increased significantly after Cyclone Winston and in 2018, it increased to $79.1 million.
FSC says a key driver to this increase has been the Cane Planting Grant, which is a direct financial benefit to the grower, which increased by 95% from 2016 to 2017 and 71% in 2018.
In 2016, 3,444 growers were assisted via the government grants, this figure increased to 4,541 in 2018, an increase of 32 percent.
Clark says this is an encouraging trend for the sugar industry, growers are returning to cane or new growers are entering the industry.
FSC has revealed that another key contributor to the increase in planting is the fertilizer subsidies provided by Government which increased by 59% from 2016 to 2018 and weedicide support has also been provided further strengthening the growth of the cane crop.
Clark adds accessibility to sugar cane farms has also been boosted through funding for the repairs and maintenance on our cane access roads which last year was$6 million. Better roads allow more efficient access to sugar cane farms and vice versa to the mills.
Clark also cleared the air on some misconceptions in regards to funding from the Government.
Clark concluded that the sugar industry is on an upward trajectory and if the trend continues, their five year goal to reach three million tonnes of cane is looking achievable.
ADVERTISEMENT
Stay tuned for the latest news on our radio stations