Ritika Pratap 
[Photo: FILE]
Fiji Sugar Corporation Chief Executive Bhan Pratap Singh says crushing capacity at the Rarawai Sugar Mill in Ba will increase once a new boiler is installed.
Singh says the new boiler will boost the mill’s capacity from 230 tonnes of cane per hour to about 300 tonnes per hour.
He states that FSC plans to crush all cane from Viti Levu at a single mill to reduce production costs and increase efficiency.
Currently, he notes, the mills are unable to perform at full capacity due to a low cane supply.
“And that should be our plan in the next three to five years. And we have, I mean, done a lot of groundwork to go towards that. We can also, if we have a new boiler, we can also add an ethanol plant and do some diversification. We can also add a refinery, a back-end refinery, but progressively after we have upgraded the boiler.”
Singh says they have already completed an in-house feasibility study and have requested the Ministry of Finance to provide one or two technical consultants to help design the project.
He states that this preparation will enable them to apply for grants from international agencies like the Green Climate Fund.
