Crushing at the Penang Sugar Mill in Rakiraki has been extended due to the bad weather.

Sugar Cane Growers Council chief executive Sundresh Chetty says this was decided following a meeting with the Penang Mill management.

Crushing was to have ended today as decided by the Sugar Industry Tribunal however it has now been extended by 24 hours.

Chetty says over 1,000 tonnes of harvested cane is lying in the fields as farmers were unable to load them onto lorries due to the bad weather over the past few days.

Penang Mill is stock piling cane until tomorrow morning when crushing is expected to resume.