Apenisa Waqairadovu 
A milestone was marked for the country’s sugar industry yesterday with the launch of Fiji’s first hilly-terrain sugarcane mechanical harvester, supplied by Japan’s Kumiki Co., Ltd.
The Matsumoto model harvester will undergo trial operations in Tavua, with experts from Japan already training local operators and mechanics on its use, servicing, and maintenance.
Farmers are also being guided on how to prepare their fields to maximise efficiency during harvesting.
Minister for Sugar Industry Charan Jeath Singh says the initiative is part of the government’s broader efforts to mechanise cane cultivation and harvesting.
He highlighted that the project is a result of close collaboration between the Ministry of Sugar, Fiji Sugar Corporation, and the Sugar Research Institute of Fiji, with each agency playing a role in funding, logistics, and operations.
Singh added that the introduction of this specialised machine is designed to ease the burden on farmers harvesting cane in difficult hilly terrains, while also strengthening Fiji’s partnership with Okinawa, Japan.
The harvester’s trial is expected to run until the end of the crushing season, after which a full report will determine the way forward.
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