Sainimili Magimagi 
[File Photo]
The growing exit of young people from agriculture is accelerating the decline of Fiji’s sugar industry.
Minister for Sugar Industry Tomasi Tunabuna says fewer young Fijians are returning to sugarcane farming, leaving the sector heavily dependent on an aging workforce.
Tunabuna says many children of farmers have pursued education and employment opportunities in urban areas and overseas, reducing the availability of skilled labor in rural communities.
He adds that the shortage of cane cutters and farm workers is now affecting harvesting and overall productivity.
“And a few, very few now, wants to go back into becoming a sugarcane farmer. So we have a lot of very old-age farmers. We don’t have the quality sugarcane cutters.Those who can load sugarcane into the trucks. Those resilient people are no longer there. So they are more dependent now on people from villages, who have got other options for other work to get income.”
The Minister says this shift has weakened the foundation of the industry, which once relied on a strong and organized labor force.
Tunabuna stresses that unless the sector becomes more attractive and efficient, it will continue to lose workers to other industries.
He says addressing labor challenges is key to stabilizing production and ensuring the industry’s survival.
