The Prime Minister Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama says consultations need to be carried out first before any decision is reached to close the Rarawai Sugar Mill in Ba.
The closure of the mill was among recommendations put forward by the Fiji Sugar Corporation acting chief executive officer John Prasad at a meeting of the FSC board held in Lautoka on Thursday.
Commodore Bainimarama said wide consultations with all industry stakeholders would determine the impacts of the proposed mill closure.
Mr Prasad had recommended the Rarawai Mill needed to closed because of the hefty overhead costs involved in operating it.
“At this stage I recommended that the Rarawai Mill be closed,” Mr Prasad said.
“In that area we can give farmers and the people an opportunity to build the volume of sugar cane which can be transported to the other mills for processing in the medium term.
“We all know that FSC has faced some significant problems and this will help alleviate the situation.”
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