Cane lorry drivers have warned they may be unable to deliver sugarcane to the mills unless the government intervenes to ease rapidly rising fuel costs. Fiji Cane Lorries Rarawai Association president Atish Kumar said drivers have not had a chance to recover from a fuel price rise in May before another increase was announced this week, and the successive hikes are squeezing already thin margins.
“It is increase after increase and if we are not given any kind of relief, we won’t be able to deliver all of the cane to the mill,” Kumar said, urging authorities to consider a targeted fuel subsidy for cane lorry operators. He said fuel is the chief cost-driver hurting drivers and farmers alike, compounding earlier rises in labour and delivery expenses.
Kumar gave concrete examples of the pressure on operators and growers: filling the fuel tank of a Toyota 6000 truck now costs more than $500, while a Hino truck requires more than $700 to top up some 200 litres. With those rates, he said many farmers are spending about $600 on fuel every week or every two weeks, depending on the vehicle and distances travelled, leaving little or no profit for growers and haulers once other costs are paid.
The appeal for subsidised fuel comes as the sugar industry is still managing other recent shocks. In September the Rarawai Sugar Mill in Ba was damaged by fire and government measures were introduced to redirect cane to Lautoka with a $15-per-tonne compensation and other temporary relief for affected growers. Sugar Industry Minister Charan Jeath Singh has previously visited the site and reassured stakeholders that harvesting would continue, but Kumar warns that without help on fuel costs that continuity is at risk.
Drivers and growers say the cumulative effect of burnt cane, mill disruptions and now fuel price volatility threatens the financial viability of cane hauling. “The main problem is the fuel cost because it is affecting all of the other costs that we have to pay like labour and the delivery,” Kumar said. He argued that subsidising fuel for cane lorry drivers would help bring those ancillary costs down and make deliveries manageable.
The Rarawai Association’s call adds a new, sharply economic dimension to ongoing discussions about how best to support the sector through recovery and the 2025 crush season. With trucks central to moving cane from farms to mills, transport costs have an immediate effect on whether cane is harvested and processed on time. Industry stakeholders will be watching for any government response after Kumar’s appeal; previously announced relief measures addressed fire and burnt-cane losses but did not cover rising operational expenses such as diesel.
If no relief is forthcoming, drivers say the practical consequence will be fewer deliveries and tighter margins for farmers, potentially reducing cane throughput at key mills already coping with disruptions. The association’s warning places pressure on policymakers to weigh options — from fuel subsidies to other forms of support — to prevent transport costs from becoming the next major bottleneck in Fiji’s sugar season.