Sugar industry suffers massive blow

There is a concern that the sugar industry stands to lose more after most of the crops left to be harvested and crushed this season were damaged by Cyclone Mick and the floods that followed.

Sugar Cane Growers Council acting chief executive officer Sundresh Chetty says this is a big worry as un-harvested cane lying in the fields for Lautoka and Rarawai sugar mills were badly damaged.

“As far as the cane that is there in the fields particularly in Rarawai and Lautoka mill areas that is to be harvested we have seen that debrees have been collected in the field, cane has been flattened so in that situation we are urging growers to arrange for harvesting those cane so that you can salvage those cane and get minimum damage to the infrastructure that has been caused by the recent flooding.”

Reports indicate that there has been a substantial damage to sugarcane and other cash crops in the Western Division.

Especially newly planted cane planted along the river banks and the low lying areas were damaged by flood waters.

source: radiofiji