The sugar mill operated by Fiji Sugar Corporation in Labasa is outperforming the two mills located in Viti Levu in several operational aspects, including reduced downtime. This assessment was provided by Charan Jeath Singh, the Minister for the Sugar Industry, during his recent visit to the Labasa facility.
So far this season, the Labasa Mill has processed 352,000 tonnes of sugarcane, with projections indicating a total of around 600,000 to 650,000 tonnes for the entire season. Singh noted that two shipments of sugar and one shipment of molasses have already been dispatched from the mill, with additional shipments expected before the year’s end.
The total anticipated cane crushing from the three mills is approximately 1.6 million tonnes. Singh explained that the current ratio of tonnes of cane to tonnes of sugar (TCTS) for the Labasa Mill stands at eight percent, while the Lautoka and Ba mills are experiencing rates of nine to ten percent. Given these ratios, Fiji should be able to produce about 150,000 tonnes of sugar, generating around $150 million in sales revenue.
He also mentioned that the mills in Ba and Lautoka have been facing operational challenges, such as issues with the boiler that lead to delays for drivers. Singh emphasized that the mills sometimes need to shut down when there is insufficient cane supply, highlighting that without enough raw material, operations can become financially burdensome.