Taina Basiyalo 
Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka says Fiji’s sugar industry is in crisis and urgent reforms are needed to save it.
Speaking in Parliament during debate on a motion to form a Special Committee on the Sugar Industry, Rabuka said the sector can no longer be ignored.
He highlighted falling production, ageing infrastructure, climate challenges, and a lack of young farmers as key issues.
Rabuka blamed poor leadership between 2006 and 2022, saying the industry was run by people with little knowledge of farming and no connection to growers.
He added that politics took over the industry, sidelining the farmers it was meant to support.
Rabuka stressed the need to restore fairness and profitability, saying a new approach is needed to rebuild trust and secure the industry’s future.
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