With the new sugarcane crushing season due to begin in May or June, lorry owners and harvest operators are calling for higher cartage rates and increased government support to cope with escalating operating costs, particularly fuel and batteries.
Atish Kumar, president of the Fiji Cane Lorries Association, said drivers fear they will not be able to cover rising expenses once carting for the 2026 season starts. “We are already anticipating it to go up again from May,” he said, describing a squeeze that is coming at a crucial moment for the industry. Lorry operators are proposing an increase in the cartage rate from the current $12 per tonne to $15 per tonne — a 25 percent rise — to offset higher running costs.
Kumar pointed to sharply higher battery prices as one immediate pressure. He said one 24-volt battery now costs about $350 and most trucks need two, while a 70-volt battery used in tractors has risen to around $250. Those one-off parts increases sit alongside ongoing fuel bills, which drivers expect to climb. Kumar also highlighted route-specific costs, noting drivers pay more than $33 to transport cane from Penang to Rarawai and suggested the Rarawai-to-Lautoka leg could be raised by $1–$2 to reflect higher operating expenses.
Former Fiji Sugar Corporation board member Arvind Singh warned that further fuel cost increases would affect the whole harvesting chain. “We are also paying the mechanical harvesters,” he said. “Both of these need fuel. We won’t be able to survive if it increases again.” Mechanical harvesters and contracted lorries are both integral to getting cane from farms to mills on schedule; if either becomes uneconomic, deliveries and the subsequent crushing program could be disrupted.
The appeal for a higher cartage rate and expanded subsidies underscores a wider vulnerability in the sugar sector: many small-scale contractors operate on thin margins and are sensitive to sudden input-price shocks. Cartage rates are a negotiated element of the supply chain and have implications for farmers, mills and government support programs. For growers already facing other cost pressures, higher transport bills could erode margins or increase calls for higher cane prices or additional subsidies.
What makes this urgent is timing. With harvesting set to begin within weeks, stakeholders have little lead time to agree changes to rates, subsidies or operational plans. If government or industry bodies do not act quickly, lorry operators could reduce the number of trucks available for cartage, delay shifts, or press for interim payments — all of which would risk slowing cane deliveries at the start of the season.
So far there has been no public response from the government or the Fiji Sugar Corporation in this report. The coming days are likely to show whether the industry can reach short-term adjustments to keep the season on track or whether more significant negotiations over cartage rates and subsidy levels will be required to prevent disruptions to harvesting and milling.
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