Prolonged drought conditions linked to the El Nino phenomenon have severely affected the 2024 sugar cane production in Fiji, leading the Fiji Sugar Corporation (FSC) to announce that it may not fulfill one of its shipment commitments.
The FSC has a commitment to ship approximately 84,000 tonnes of sugar, which includes a shipment to the United States and two shipments to a refiner in Korea. Additionally, the company is set to supply around 35,000 tonnes of sugar to local and regional markets.
FSC’s chief executive officer, Bhan Pratap Singh, indicated that the anticipated shipment volume has been revised downwards from an original forecast of 153,021 tonnes to 121,272 tonnes due to the ongoing drought. The initial forecast from November 2023 had projected cane production at 1.51 million tonnes for 2024, but this has now been downgraded to 1.30 million tonnes as of August 2024.
Singh noted that the continued drought not only affects the 2024 crop but also poses risks for the 2025 season, as poor planting occurred during the critical months from March to July, resulting in inadequate establishment of harvested ratoon crops. Even with potential rain in the coming months, there are concerns about late planting and lower productivity.
FSC is actively monitoring the situation and is committed to assisting farmers during these difficult times. The organization is also seeking various options to mitigate the impact of future droughts.
Rainfall data shows significant deficits, with the Lautoka mill experiencing an 82 percent decrease, Rarawai mill seeing an 87 percent reduction, and Labasa mill recording a 59 percent decline from October to December of the previous year. Singh reported that these substantial rainfall shortages resulted in a 20 percent decrease in output at the mills on Viti Levu and a 4 percent decline at the Labasa mill.
As of August 12, 2024, the Lautoka mill has processed 208,768 tonnes of cane and produced 16,066 tonnes of sugar, Rarawai crushed 153,564 tonnes of cane for 13,677 tonnes of sugar, and Labasa crushed 239,388 tonnes of cane, yielding 23,796 tonnes of sugar.