The Fiji Sugar Corporation (FSC) is financing and carrying out a programme of major mill upgrades using its own resources, Minister for Sugar Tomasi Tunabuna told Parliament on Wednesday, as the corporation moves to shore up reliability after a disrupted 2025 crushing season. Mr Tunabuna said the work is being driven by an internal maintenance and capital-upgrade plan that will continue into 2026 and is not drawn from the Government’s budget.
“Despite the challenges, FSC has undertaken a comprehensive programme of maintenance, targeted capital upgrades and operational improvement across the mills in Fiji, and this is also for 2026,” Mr Tunabuna said, adding that these initiatives “are being fully financed and implemented by FSC, with its own resources, reflecting the Corporation’s commitment to strengthening the mills’ reliability and operational performances.”
The minister reported that Lautoka Mill recorded the highest number of breakdowns during the 2025 crushing season, attributing most failures to aging infrastructure. Key problems identified at Lautoka included failing boiler components, deteriorated carrier systems and faults within the diffuser and other processing stations. In response, FSC has already carried out extensive remedial works to address those faults.
At Lautoka, the scope of repairs has included replacement of critical boiler infrastructure plus front walls, peephole tubes and air preheater tubes, Mr Tunabuna said. Major repairs have also been undertaken on feeding and carrier systems, while upgrades at the diffuser and processing stations are focused on replacing worn components, improving piping and enhancing instrumentation to reduce future breakdown risk.
Work is also under way at Labasa Mill, where FSC’s upgrade priorities are centred on the boiler, powerhouse and crushing stations. Tunabuna said these measures aim to lift operational efficiency ahead of upcoming crushing seasons, signalling targeted interventions across the two main mills to stabilise performance.
Tunabuna’s update is the latest development in efforts to improve mill reliability after a season marked by mechanical failures. By stressing that the Corporation is funding the upgrades itself, the minister clarified that the projects will not add to government expenditure and underscored FSC’s role in managing the technical turnaround. The corporation’s actions will be closely watched by cane growers and industry stakeholders as they prepare for the next season.
The Minister framed the programme as both remedial and preventative, designed to address immediate breakdowns while modernising equipment and instrumentation to enhance long-term operational performance. FSC’s ongoing self-funded capital works now form the central plank of its strategy to restore dependable crushing operations at Lautoka and Labasa.