Minister for Sugar Charan Jeath Singh has announced that the Fiji Sugar Corporation (FSC) is set to purchase a second-hand sugar mill from China for installation in Rakiraki.
Speaking at a Sugar Research Institute of Fiji Farmers’ Day event in Rakiraki last week, Singh highlighted that a brand-new mill would cost $250 million. He added, “The one we are negotiating to bring from China, hopefully, will cost half the price. It is a second-hand mill, and it is only four years old.”
Singh mentioned that a team from FSC, including the chairman, CEO Bhan Singh, and engineers, had inspected the mill and were satisfied with its condition. He stated, “They are quite happy with that mill, and it is just a matter of time now to source the funding and once the funding is done, we will start organizing this mill.”
“If we proceed with this, the Chinese engineers will dismantle the mill, load it on the boat and bring it here, install and operate. They will be here for two years to make sure that the mill is commissioned and then they will hand it over,” Singh explained.
The new mill in Rakiraki is expected to produce refined sugar. Singh noted, “Currently you know that all our refined sugar is imported. There is a huge demand for refined sugar in Fiji and the Pacific Islands and the white sugar, or the refined sugar, has a better value.”