Fiji Labour Party

Labour undeterred by dirty politics...

No harvest until demands met: Ba farmers

Ba cane growers have resolved not to harvest their 2026 crop unless government and FSC respond to their numerous grievances.

This was the decision taken by growers who attended NFU meetings held at the Ba Red Cross Hall and later at the Shri Venkatesh Permal Temple in Vunisamaloa on Saturday.

They have asked that the start of crush be deferred until all their demands are met. The Sugar Industry Tribunal has announced dates for the Lautoka Mill to start rolling on 10 June, Rarawai on 16 June and Labasa 17 June.

Central to the growers’ grievances is a low Forecast Price of $57.40pt for the season, resulting in a Delivery Payment of $42 pt similar to what it was in 2025.

But farmers already burdened with numerous difficulties, say costs have risen astronomically in 2026 with the sharp increase in the price of diesel fuel which has gone up by 60% in the past couple of months.

A delivery payment of $42pt was too low to compensate for increased harvesting and cartage costs to the mills, they say.

Forecast Price - $85pt
Growers want the Forecast Price to be revised to $85pt (current guaranteed minimum price for cane) which would give a Delivery Payment of $52pt. Adding to this the government top-up of $7.56pt will bring the total Delivery Payment for the season to $59.56pt.

Furthermore, the guaranteed Minimum Price for 2026 should be revised to $110pt and reviewed annually.

In other resolutions, growers are seeking:

• Fuel rebate in view of sudden sharp increases in fuel prices
• Maintenance of rail transport to increase the ratio of rail to lorry; FSC to withdraw application to close the Tavua-Lautoka rail line
• Compensation for 120,000 tonne standover cane in 2025 at $35pt
• Outstanding cane payments to be fully paid before start of crush- manual harvesting $3pt and Incentive FBA of $5pt. Payments assured by end of May are still in many cases
• Refund of burnt cane penalty deducted after 17 September 2025 when the Rarawai Mill shut down due to fire damage
• Maintenance of cane access roads to be properly completed before start of crush.

Respect and Dignity
Growers are also calling on FSC to treat them with dignity and respect. They want better communication at times of mill breakdown. They want maintenance of proper washroom and toilet facilities at all three mills for use by lorry drivers and farmers waiting to off-load lorries during mill breakdowns. And a rest area to be set up for their use for meals and refreshments during long waiting hours.

The Union said growers’ grievances were communicated to the Sugar Minister in letters sent on 18 December 2025 and again on 4 May 2026. It expressed concern that the Minister had not even bothered to acknowledge the letters.

“Farmers demand answers to issues raised therein. And they expect to be treated with some respect. They will pursue their claims to obtain justice,” said Mahendra Chaudhry.

Solidarity important
Mr Chaudhry impressed on growers the need to stay united if they wanted to successfully negotiate their grievances. Solidarity was absolutely important, he said.

Farmers greet Chaudhry at Red Cross Hall,Ba

NFU general secretary and Labour Leader Mahendra Chaudhry meets farmers at the Red Cross Hall in Ba ahead of this morning’s meeting on issues facing cane farmers for the 2026 crush.

A hale and hearty Mr Chaudhry received an enthusiastic welcome from growers unhappy with the $42pt Delivery Payment based on a Forecast Price of $57.40 for the season announced by FSC.

Today’s meeting will address a range of problems facing growers as they prepare for the 2026 crushing season.

Victory for the Voice of the People

NFU to hold 2 meetings in Ba Saturday

Has FCCC abandoned the consumer??

With fuel prices in Fiji rising by a hefty 60% or more since the global crisis, it is time to ask whether FCCC has the ability and competency to effectively manage the current situation and protect the interests of the consumers, as it is mandated to do.

It is required to do so under Section 2 of the Fiji Competition and Consumer Commission Act 2010, but, instead, has so far acted to protect the interests of the oil companies by continuing to allow unwarranted price hikes.

Increases announced on June 1 saw fuel cost soar by a massive 25% against the May schedule. This is intolerable considering that next door in Australia fuel prices rose by only 2% since the Iran conflict began.

The Australian Labor Party reduced the fuel excise tax by over half which, alongside competition in the market, has stabilised fuel prices.

But in Fiji, the governing Coalition simply ignored Labour’s repeated calls for the fuel tax to be removed or reduced for the duration of the crisis. It shows poor governance and an utter lack of empathy for the hardship facing our people.

The Coalition’s current inability to handle the situation is in sharp contrast to the swift and measured response of the interim Bainimarama government to a similar crisis in 2008.

In 2008 when global petrol prices rose by over 60% (more than the 55% increase in the current crisis), in Fiji the then regulator attempted three increases to the domestic price.

The first attempted price hike in February 2008 was blocked by the then interim Finance minister Mahendra Chaudhry citing that the burden on the consumer would be unjustified.

To prevent price rises, he then fixed the fuel price. When the global crisis deepened, the government did permit increases by the regulator in July and August. However, to mitigate against these increases, import duties on fuel were reduced.

The outcome was that prices increased by only 13%. The interim government then also expanded price controls to ease the burden on the consumer.

In contrast, this coalition government has done very little to combat the escalating economic and social problem caused by the increased global price of fuel.

- They have not reduced any taxes on fuel.

- They have not intervened to review the FCCC price hikes as per Section 40 of the 2010 Act.

- They have done nothing to expand price controls or reduce VAT while their subsidies to corporations will do little to ease the burden on the consumer.

To protect the interest of the consumer, FCCC had developed the "least cost methodology" to set fuel prices.

An important part of this methodology is the “time lag system”. A one-month lag is used to ensure that prices at the bowser reflect the actual cost of the fuel being consumed, i.e. the cost when the fuel was imported rather than reacting to immediate price volatility.

However, in April the FCCC abandoned the usual practice of using the one-month lag and increased prices to align with the then current and volatile global price of fuel.

In sidelining the one-month lag, they simply passed on price volatility to the consumer. They openly admitted that they extended the one-month pricing reference window by an additional 20 days into the following month.

Without the one-month lag, higher international costs during a period of volatility, were brought forward creating the sharp increases in prices instead of allowing the usual smoothing effect to shield the consumer from price volatility.

The FCCC, thereby, abandoned its role as protector of consumer rights by removing the very method established to shield the consumer from erratic prices. The coalition government has allowed the FCCC to behave irresponsibly.

Furthermore, and most damning for the FCCC, is that global fuel prices from April to May went down, yet the FCCC – supposedly using the one-month lag – increased prices significantly in June.

This coalition government has failed to attend to the needs of ordinary Fijians.

Institutions like FCCC have gone rogue under this government and have failed to carry out their mandate of protecting the rights of the people.

The coalition government’s reaction to the global fuel crisis has epitomised their inadequacies and Fijians must remember this with elections approaching.

Fuel hike rocks the nation!

Cane farmers stunned by low forecast price

The National Farmers Union calls on all cane farmers to reject the cane forecast price of $57.60 pt for their 2026 crop.

"It's ridiculous to ask them to accept a delivery payment of $34.44 pt which is what they will get under the low forecast price just announced by the Fiji Sugar Corporation", said NFU general secretary Mahendra Chaudhry.

The top - up of $7.56pt, taking the delivery payment to last year's level of $42 pt, will not be enough to offset the increased costs farmers face this season in light of the prevailing economic conditions, he said.

"They will have to pay substantially more for harvesting and haulage. Their cultivation costs will also rise and must be taken into consideration when determining cane price.

" Government has ignored the Union's request for fuel duty rebate to be extended to cane lorry and harvester operators.
" In the circumstances, the best option is to amend the Sugar Industry Master Award, fixing the guaranteed minimum price of $85 pt as the forecast price until such time as a revised higher minimum guaranteed price is determined, as promised before the last general elections by the Coalition.

"This will give farmers a delivery payment of $52 pt.

"Meanwhile, every effort must be made to have a revised guaranteed price in place before the end of the crushing season.