Felix Chaudhary 
Fiji Sugar Corporation chief executive officer Bhan Pratap Singh says the impact of floodwater on cane crops in the Western Division will not be known until the weather has cleared.
Speaking to FBC News this morning, he says a measure of the impact will be done once roads are accessible.
“Nobody can do anything while there are still floods and with the current rainfall,” he said.
“We won’t know the real impact on cane crops until a proper assessment is undertaken.
“We can only do that after the floodwater has receded and roads are accessible.”
Prominent Ba cane grower Arun Sharma says their biggest concern is the impact of floodwater on newly planted crops.
“In some places, the cane plants are three to four weeks old, and we are unsure if these crops will withstand the stagnant water,” he said.
“There were strong winds in other places which battered cane crops, so we will only know the impact on those crops as well, after the flood waters have receded.”
At a time when Fiji’s sugar industry is struggling to remain sustainable, the recent weather would have thrown a spanner in the works.
Sugar Industry Minister Charan Jeath Singh had earlier this year announced a plan to increase cane production to 1.8 million tonnes in 2024 and 2 million tonnes by 2025.
However, the industry has been hard-pressed to produce anywhere close to the target, with 1.64 million tonnes in 2022 and 1.56 million tonnes on 2023.
Apart from climate change, some of the biggest issues facing the industry is ageing farmers, lack of mechanisation and escalating transport costs.
