The National Farmers Union (NFU) has renewed its demand that the Coalition Government pay cane growers the full guaranteed price of $85 per tonne for the 2025 crop, warning that the current payout schedule released by the Fiji Sugar Corporation (FSC) and the Sugar Ministry leaves growers short by $5.03 per tonne. NFU Secretary Mahendra Chaudhry said the union is seeking the shortfall to be included in the fourth cane payment due in May.
Chaudhry also pressed for the immediate payment of outstanding bonuses: $3 per tonne for manually harvested cane and $5 per tonne for production above farm allotments. Those sums, he said, must be added to the May payout so farmers receive what they were promised for the 2025 season. “Don’t cheat the farmers. Pay all their dues,” Chaudhry said.
The NFU’s latest demand comes after the union first raised concerns about incomplete payments on March 28. Chaudhry warned that if the Government does not meet its commitments now, readiness for the 2026 harvesting season could be undermined. “Unless such a commitment is given by the Government, growers will not be ready for the next crop,” he said, signalling the risk that unpaid or delayed funds could affect planting, maintenance and labour arrangements ahead of next year’s season.
As a practical step, the NFU has called on the Sugar Ministry to seek funding approval from the Ministry of Finance during the next parliamentary sitting, scheduled from April 27 to May 1. The union wants authorities to use that window to secure the money needed to close the $5.03 per tonne gap and to clear the outstanding bonuses, so the disbursements can be processed with the fourth payment.
The dispute highlights tensions between growers and the bodies overseeing cane payments. The FSC and the Sugar Ministry earlier issued a payout schedule that, according to NFU calculations, does not meet the $85-per-tonne guarantee for this year’s crop. Chaudhry’s public pressure increases scrutiny on the Coalition Government to either release additional funds or explain the shortfall to thousands of cane farmers who rely on timely payments for season planning.
The NFU frames the push as urgent because of the operational realities of sugar farming: payments cover labour, fertiliser, irrigation and other inputs needed to maintain fields and prepare for the next season. While the union’s demand is the latest development, it forms part of a string of industry concerns in recent months about payments, productivity and the sector’s long-term viability. The NFU has said it will judge the Government by whether it secures the funding at the upcoming parliamentary sitting and ensures the May payout reflects the full guaranteed price and overdue bonuses.
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