Riya Mala 
When the sugar industry was thriving, the people on the management board of Fiji Sugar Corporation were not following the global trend of transforming the sugar industry into four distinct sectors, says Minister responsible.
Minister for Sugar Industry, Charan Jeath Singh, highlighted this while making submissions on the Sugar Industry amendment bill of 2024.
He says while other countries were diversifying their sugar industries into cogeneration, ethanol production, refining, and brown sugar manufacturing, Fiji missed the opportunity to modernize and expand in these areas.
Singh says that this lack of transformation meant that Fiji’s sugar industry remained focused on traditional practices, potentially limiting its growth and sustainability in an increasingly competitive global market.
“Here, we were so stuck with orthodox ideas that today our farmers have to spend up to $35 a ton to deliver cane by truck to the mills. So, these are the things that have actually taken us backward.”
Singh says that for the sugar industry to return to profitability and produce 3.4 million tonnes of cane, it is working closely with Fiji Airways and Airbus, both of whom have committed to providing financial support.
He adds that the support from these organizations will play a crucial role in bracing the industry, ensuring that it meets the production target and secures a stable future for sugar farmers, workers, and the broader economy.
