Growers with hired cutters okay to harvest

Cane farmers for the Lautoka Mill area who had hired cutters and were providing billeting and meals for them have been given quotas to continue harvesting to save costs.

Most the cutters have been hired from Tailevu, Rewa and Nausori areas and were staying at the cane farms and being offered, shelter, three meals a day and payment based on tonnage cut.

Sugar Cane Growers Council

This has been confirmed by the Sugar Cane Growers Council acting chief executive officer Sunil Chaudhary.

He also stated that the Fiji Sugar Corporation (FSC) was paying $10 a tonne in lorry transport costs for harvested cane from these growers to be sent to the Rarawai mill.

The go-ahead to harvest for these growers follows the closure of the Lautoka mill during preopening trials on June 24 where a major breakdown in the boiler occurred.

Still no dates have been given for the opening of the Lautoka Mill season and comments could not be obtained from the FSC chief executive officer Graham Clark, who was in Suva yesterday.

Cane farmers and growers

Mr Chaudhary said the council has also asked cane farmers and growers to be patient as FSC works towards getting the mill running. “We had requested FSC for those growers, who had brought in cane cutters, to harvest as this will save the growers costs.

“If they do not harvest, the growers will have to continue paying for the three meals daily.

“So FSC has agreed that these growers be allowed to harvest, their cane transported to the Rarawai Mill which began its season on June 23.”

Lautoka mill

Mr Chaudhary said 14 sectors make up the Lautoka Mill area and these sectors are in Lautoka, Nadi and Sigatoka.

“All growers who have cutters have been given their quotas and are harvesting,” said Mr Chaudhary although he could not indicate how many growers there were.

Rarawai mill

He said all harvested cane that was loaded on rail trucks from growers was transported to the Rarawai mill also.

“These include cane from as far as Lomawai and Cuvu in Sigatoka. “We have some already been delivered while some are still in transit.”

Mr Chaudhary said he had been inundated with calls from farmers regarding the crushing date for the Lautoka mill.