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Sugarcane farmers are advised to refrain from planting unapproved varieties of sugarcane for the 2023-2024 planting season.

The Ministry of Sugar Industry has conducted random field visits and discovered that farmers have been planting unapproved varieties of sugarcane, against the strong advice of both the Ministry and the Fiji Sugar Corporation Limited.

The Ministry emphasizes that farmers need to be aware that the Ministry will not take any responsibility for the unapproved varieties of sugarcane planted as a new crop for the 2023-2024 planting season. Consequently, farmers will not have access to grants provided by the Ministry for those farms.

Ministry further advises farmers to plant sugarcane varieties approved by the Sugar Research Institute of Fiji.

These varieties have been tested for quality, resilience, yield potential, and overall suitability to the soil, as well as adaptability to Fiji’s climatic conditions.

The list of approved varieties of sugarcane can be obtained from the respective sector office, Ministry of Sugar Industry’s office, and the Fiji Sugar Corporation.