[ Source : https://www.sierraclub.org/articles/2022/09/stop-burn-how-sugarcane-field-burning-devastating-communities-south-florida]
Cane farmers have been urged to stay away from indiscriminate cane burning when the new crushing season begins at the end of the month.
Sugar Research Institute senior scientific officer Amit Raj Singh says a lot of stand-over cane crop from last year is expected to be harvested first this year.
Singh says it has been noticed that these left-over sugar cane is burnt first before it is harvested and sent to the mills for crushing.
He says this is due to left-over cane crop being fully covered with long weeds.
The SRIF scientific officer says the Fiji Sugar Corporation and SRIF are urging farmers to keep the cane land free of weeds when cane is growing.
Singh says burnt sugar cane figures for last year’s crushing season stood high and good quality sugar cannot be produced with burnt cane when it is crushed.
