Super El Nino raises fears of bigger sugarcane production decline in Fiji in 2027
Fiji’s sugar industry faces a severe production threat in 2027 as prolonged drought linked to a potential Super El Niño threatens sugarcane cultivation. FSC warned losses could exceed previous drought-related declines of 36%. Meanwhile, Labasa Mill completed crushing 469,483 tonnes of cane, producing 51,451 tonnes of sugar.
Fiji’s sugar industry faces a potentially severe production setback in 2027 as prolonged dry weather, described by experts as a Super El Nino, threatens to intensify the impact of drought on sugarcane cultivation, The Fiji Times reported.
Fiji Sugar Corporation (FSC) chief operating officer Mikaele Biukoto warned that next year could be among the most difficult periods on record for the industry, with the possibility of production losses exceeding those seen during previous major droughts.
Earlier droughts had reduced sugarcane production by as much as 36 per cent, with output falling from two million tonnes to one million tonnes in some instances, and from three million tonnes to two million tonnes in others, Biukoto said.
He expressed particular concern over conditions in Viti Levu, especially around Lautoka, where the situation could be more severe than in Labasa, which has received intermittent rainfall.
Biukoto urged field departments in Labasa and Lautoka to begin preparing farmers’ fields well ahead of the 2027 harvest to ensure adequate cane supplies for the mills. He said maintaining sufficient cane availability would be critical to keeping the mills operational.
He also called on workers to complete the remaining crushing operations for the current season, process all available cane, carry out the boil-out process and prepare the mills for the next season. He stressed that preparations for 2027 should begin even as work on the current crushing season continued.
The Labasa Sugar Mill crushed 469,483 tonnes of sugarcane and produced 51,451 tonnes of sugar when it closed its crushing season on Thursday. The mill recorded a cane-to-sugar ratio of 9:1.
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Source : ChiniMandi
