Apenisa Waqairadovu 
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Sugarcane farmers have been given less than 80 days to complete the season’s harvest.
Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Sugar Industry Dr. Vinesh Kumar says they remain optimistic of meeting their goal, even though more than a thousand farmers have yet to start harvesting.
Kumar says the target is achievable but will require the combined effort of everyone in the sugar industry.
“This year in Viti Levu we have done 950,000 tonnes of cane, we have done 650,000 tonnes already, and we had roughly 295,000 tonnes left. I had a discussion with FSC and their team and they are anticipating that within the next 78 days we should complete harvest.”
He says around 150,000 tonnes of cane remain on farms and are expected to be harvested by the end of the year.
“We are aware that over 1600 farmers that have yet to start harvesting. So it’s not just about the mill, it’s about the farmers as well.”
Meanwhile, Sugar Minister Charan Jeath Singh is not happy with overall productivity of farmers and has stressed the need to improve yield.
“Our farmers have been sitting 47 tonnes per hectare of cane for the last 15 years. You need to double your crop.”
Crushing has been delayed by a fire at the Rarawai Mill in Ba. Dr. Kumar says repairs are expected by December, allowing harvesting and crushing to resume smoothly.
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