The Sugarcane Growers Council is actively engaged in talks with a recruitment agency in Bangladesh to bring in labourers to help address the critical shortage of cane cutters on Viti Levu and Vanua Levu.

The Council’s Chief Executive, Vimal Dutt, says many cane farmers were unable to harvest their crops last year due to a lack of available cutters.

He says this resulted in a significant amount of unharvested sugarcane, estimated at around 30,000 metric tons.

The Council is optimistic that the discussions with Bangladesh will be successful, potentially leading to the arrival of Bangladeshi labourers as the crushing season progresses.

He says certain requirements will need to be followed to secure the help of these Bangladeshi labourers.