The Fiji Sugar Corporation’s sugar mill in Labasa is outperforming the two mills in Viti Levu concerning operational issues, including downtime. This was highlighted by the Minister for Sugar Industry, Charan Jeath Singh, during a recent visit to Labasa.
According to Singh, the Labasa Mill has crushed 352,000 tonnes of cane this season, with expectations to reach between 600,000 and 650,000 tonnes. To date, the Labasa Mill has completed two sugar shipments and one molasses shipment, with additional shipments anticipated before the year ends.
He noted that the total expected cane crush from all three mills this season is approximately 1.6 million tonnes. The current ratio of tonnes of cane to tonnes of sugar (TCTS) for the Labasa Mill stands at eight percent, while for the Lautoka and Ba mills, it is between nine and ten percent. Singh estimates that this TCTS could potentially yield around 150,000 tonnes of sugar, generating approximately $150 million in sales revenue for Fiji.
Singh also mentioned operational challenges faced by the Ba and Lautoka mills, such as boiler malfunctions leading to extended wait times for drivers. He explained that sometimes the mills must close when there is a shortage of cane supply, which can lead to inefficiencies and increased costs if there isn’t a sufficient supply for effective operations.