Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama has announced a top-up payment of $6.30 per tonne of cane for the 2017 crop season.

The Government, after considering extensive damages to the cane farms from recent and continuous flash floods and in preparation for the 2018 crushing season has topped-up the cane payment for the 2017 season with $6.30 per tonne to be paid to cane growers today.

Cane farmers will receive their fourth cane payment of $8.84 per tonne as per the Master Award and an additional $6.30 per tonne of cane as a top-up payment from the Government.

This will bring the total to $15.14 per tonne of cane that will be paid as fourth cane payment.

Bainimarama says this top-up payment will provide relief to all cane farmers especially to those that lost their income through damages to their cane farms and are in urgent need of cash to prepare for the 2018 cane harvesting season.