Opposition MP Viam Pillay has accused the Government of sidelining sugarcane farmers by spending on official travel and consultants while failing to settle outstanding cane payments — and warned the crisis could deepen with the fourth payment, due in May, at risk of delay. In a strongly worded statement, Pillay said farmers across the cane belt were already facing “mounting hardship” as delayed payments left many with “empty” bank accounts.
“If this Government can find the money for its own high-office travel and endless consultants, it can find the money for the farmers,” Pillay said. He accused the Government of having “default[ed] on its debt” to growers and warned the current trajectory pointed to “a total collapse of the system” if payments continued to be stalled. He urged ministers to “stop the stories” and pay growers “as soon as possible,” adding that words and consultations would not fuel tractors or sustain livelihoods.
Pillay’s comments are the latest development in a months-long squeeze on Fiji’s sugar sector. Grower representatives and unions have repeatedly pressed for clarity and compensation after a troubled 2025 crushing season left an estimated 85,000 tonnes of cane unharvested across the Western Division. The National Farmers Union (NFU) — led by General Secretary Mahendra Chaudhry — has sought compensation and early government action, proposing a $35-per-tonne rate for standover cane, while earlier government relief packages for select losses totalled about $101,725 and ad hoc compensation rates (including a $15-per-tonne payout tied to a Rarawai mill fire) were announced for specific disruptions.
Farmers rely on scheduled cane payments to meet operating costs, household expenses and replanting. Pillay said the financial strain has been immediate: some growers are struggling to pay for essentials and maintain farm operations. The Opposition MP warned that if the fourth payment due in May is delayed, many farming families and the rural economies that depend on them would face further hardship.
The Government has not yet responded to Pillay’s statement. His critique directly names the Prime Minister and the Finance Minister, framing the issue as a broken promise by leaders whose commitments growers say they have been waiting on. Past exchanges between the NFU, the Sugar Cane Growers Council and the Fiji Sugar Corporation have shown persistent friction over compensation, mill disruptions and support measures, but Pillay’s latest intervention raises the political stakes by suggesting fiscal priorities are skewed.
If payments are deferred, the consequences could extend beyond immediate cashflow problems to feed into wider supply and harvest issues the industry is already grappling with. With unharvested cane and damaged mills having reduced returns last season, timely settlements and clear compensatory measures remain central to preventing deeper erosion in grower confidence and production capacity.
Pillay’s statement frames this as an urgent test of government credibility on a sector that provides livelihoods across the cane belt. The situation now hinges on whether ministers will expedite outstanding payments or set out a credible timetable and compensation plan; farmers and unions say they need concrete action rather than further consultations.
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