The Ministry of Multi-Ethnic Affairs and Sugar Industry has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the sugarcane farmers in the greater Tavua area whose cane deliveries have been affected by the recent fire at the Rarawai Sugar Mill in Ba.
The Permanent Secretary for the Ministry, Dr. Vinesh Kumar, met with farmers over the weekend from Wainivoce, Vatubo, Rakavidi, Wainivoce, and WaiKubukubu to discuss their concerns about the inability to transport harvested cane. The railway loop serving the area had recently undergone successful repair and maintenance works by the Fiji Sugar Corporation (FSC) and was ready for operation prior to the mill fire.
However, with the Ba mill temporarily non-operational, farmers now face major challenges in moving their cane out from the farm. Many have engaged manual labourers who are becoming increasingly concerned as harvesting activities are on hold.
After consultations with farmers and industry representatives, Dr. Kumar announced that the Ministry and FSC have agreed to develop alternative transport access routes to ensure cane delivery continues. FSC has been tasked to conduct scoping works in the affected areas to determine the best approach for creating dual-mode cane transfer routes, which will allow trucks to access farms.
“Given the urgency of the situation and the remote nature of these farming communities, we have decided to mobilise machinery to begin access road construction immediately. Our goal is to ensure that farmers can deliver their cane before the rainy season begins and that no farmer loses their crop because of the current disruptions.”
As part of this intervention, two FSC lorries have been dedicated to service the affected areas. Farmers have also been encouraged to work collectively to ensure the new road access routes are shared and connect to all farms requiring transport assistance.
Work on the access roads is scheduled to commence by Thursday, 9th October, following the completion of scoping and safety assessments. Many farmers had engaged labourers from Nadarivau and surrounding areas, but due to delays in transportation, several of these workers are now preparing to return home becauseharvesting activities are on hold.
The Ministry and the Fiji Sugar Corporation remain steadfast in their efforts to minimise disruption to the current harvesting season and to provide practical solutions for farmers impacted by the Ba Mill incident.
Because of the rough terrain in most of the farms, only tractors had access to the farms, and the opening of the Railway loop would have greatly supported in the transportation of cane. However, the construction of road will allow farmers to used trucks to transport cane.
Mr. Balbant Singh, a farmer and advisory councillor, expressed his gratitude to the Government for its timely intervention and support.
“This initiative will greatly benefit more than 50 farmers in our area,” Mr. Singh said.
“Until now, we have relied solely on the rail system to transport cane to the mill. With the Government’s swift response to construct access roads and provide trucks, our farmers can now deliver their cane without loss. Without these new roads, much of our cane would have been left in the fields.”