Kamna Kumar 
Three thousand two hundred and eight farmers today receive bonuses from the government for increasing productivity.
Minister for Multi-Ethnic Affairs and Sugar Industry Charan Jeath Singh says these farmers bonus payments are being distributed today under government initiatives aimed at rewarding hard work and supporting manual harvesting.
He says farmers will receive $596,701.05 for increasing cane production compared to previous years.
“Farmers who produced more cane than before will receive an extra $5 per tonne. For example, if a farmer previously produced 200 tonnes and increased it to 250 tonnes last year, the extra 50 tonnes will qualify for this bonus.”
This payment is based on 119,340.21 tonnes of additional sugarcane produced last season.
Another $2,171,633.34 will be paid to 7,786 farmers under a separate scheme that supports manual cane harvesting. Singh says farmers will receive $3 per tonne for manually harvested cane, with 723,877.78 tonnes harvested during the 2024 season.
“All eligible farmers will receive their payments directly into their bank accounts today.”
He says the government’s support aims to ease the financial burden on farmers and strengthen Fiji’s sugar industry.
Singh also highlighted a positive outlook for the industry, with last year’s 1.6 million tonnes of cane expected to rise to 1.8 million tonnes this year, and a long-term target of 3.5 million tonnes in the next five years.
