A prolonged delay in the third cane payment has left growers in the Western Division reeling, with Lautoka Cane Producers Association chairman Bala Dass warning the hiatus is without precedent and risks long-term damage to farmers already under strain. The association met with Sugar Industry Minister Tomasi Tunabuna days after the scheduled payment failed to materialise, and Mr Dass said the minister had moved to provide a “top up” and a price assurance for the next season — but growers say urgent cashflow problems persist.
“If you look at the records of all cane payments, never has there been a delay that has lasted this long,” Mr Dass said, noting past holdups had only lasted a day or two. “Growers are frustrated and rightly so. They worked all year around preparing and harvesting their farm but they did not get paid for it. So now all of that frustration is coming out.” The association’s meeting with Minister Tunabuna, he added, resulted in assurances from government officials that short-term supplementation would be provided to affected growers.
The minister also gave the association a guarantee on the price for the 2025 season, Mr Dass said: farmers have been told the cane price will be set at $85 per tonne. While growers welcomed that figure, many warned the guarantee will mean little unless payments are delivered on schedule. “Farmers are expecting to be paid that amount and I hope they get paid and on time too,” Mr Dass said.
Opposition MP and Ba cane farmer Viam Pillay urged immediate action to address the knock-on effects of the unpaid sums, describing how banks, cooperatives and local merchants are pressing farmers and lorry owners who have not yet received their cane income. “Banks and creditors are knocking on doors. Local shops are cutting off credit because the Government is withholding payments,” Mr Pillay said in a statement, adding that the delay was compounding existing financial stress at farm and household level.
Pillay also warned that global market pressures will aggravate farmers’ costs heading into the next season. With oil back near $100 a barrel, he said, the price of fuel — and linked inputs such as fertiliser and transport — is set to climb, squeezing margins for already vulnerable growers and transport operators who haul cane. Those rising input costs will test the viability of the $85 guarantee if cashflow is interrupted during planting and harvesting cycles.
The latest developments come against a backdrop of broader industry troubles. Earlier coverage from January highlighted calls from the National Farmers Union for compensation for standover cane after the 2025 crush left significant quantities unharvested; the union estimated tens of thousands of tonnes remained in fields, with farmers seeking clarity and payments to cover losses. Industry stakeholders have repeatedly warned that timely payments are critical to keep smallholders solvent between seasons.
For now, growers say the government’s top-up and the $85 price setting offer some relief but stopgap measures will not resolve deeper payment-system and market-cost issues. Mr Dass said the association will continue to press for prompt disbursement and clearer timelines so that farmers, lorry owners and local businesses can meet loan obligations and restore credit lines ahead of the next planting and harvest cycle.
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