Opposition MP Viam Pillay has renewed calls for the Government to immediately settle outstanding cane payments, accusing ministers of failing to honour promises and insisting growers remain short-changed despite recent assurances from officials. Pillay was responding to remarks by Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Professor Biman Prasad, who had suggested criticism of the Government’s handling of the sugar sector was politically motivated.
“This isn’t politics; these are the hard facts of survival,” Pillay said, rejecting the suggestion his criticisms were partisan. He accused the Government of presiding over an industry “making a loss and broken promises,” telling ministers they had effectively admitted the sector “only earned 84 cents on its own.” Pillay urged the Government to “stop the games” and pay the outstanding balance owed to growers.
Pillay set out specific figures he says demonstrate the shortfall. He said the total payment breakdown for the 2025 season currently totals $79.97 per tonne — a figure that combines delivery and earlier instalments — and therefore growers remain $25.03 short of a $105-per-tonne price the Government has touted. He also reminded ministers of an election-era pledge he says amounted to $110 per tonne, saying “you still owe $5” from that promise.
Beyond the headline price, Pillay pressed for prompt payment of several other items he says remain unpaid or underpaid: manual harvesting bonuses, productivity incentives and stand-over cane payments. He warned that delays were having immediate consequences for rural families and farm operations, saying growers need the funds “urgently to support their families, pay labour costs and prepare for the next harvest.”
The demand comes against a backdrop of government relief measures introduced earlier this year after disruptions to the crush. In September, ministers confirmed a temporary $15-per-tonne compensation for cane redirected to the Lautoka mill after a fire at the Rarawai mill in Ba, and the Ministry of Sugar rolled out pre-crush burnt-cane assistance for dozens of farmers affected by fires. Pillay’s intervention signals discontent among growers that, despite those measures, core price commitments and additional incentives have not been fully met.
The Opposition MP’s statements set up a fresh political flashpoint over sugar policy as Fiji moves through the 2025 harvest season. With labour costs, family incomes and replanting needs cited as immediate pressures, Pillay’s call for cash on growers’ accounts — and his reminder of a pre-2022 election $110 pledge — tightens scrutiny on the Government’s pledge of a “record” $105 price and will likely keep the issue under political and sectoral pressure in the weeks ahead.
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