Singh sets cane target

Government has thrown down the gauntlet to cane growers to increase production to 2.5 million tonnes in the next three years.

Sugar Minister Charan Jeath Singh said Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka has given him “full authority to bring about the necessary changes in the sugar industry, with the ultimate aim to bring sugar production in the country to 2.5 million by 2026”.

“The Prime Minister has told me this is your baby,” he told farmers at a consultation in Nadi on Sunday.

“Do whatever you want to do, sign off and bring the issue to Cabinet, we will approve it there.

“That’s the advantage the industry has now.”

He said cane production last year was 1.6 million tonnes.

“The forecast we have for this year is 1.8 million with the support and assistance that we will give you. Next year we want to bring it up to two million. In my four-year term, I want an output of 2.5 million tonnes of cane in Fiji.”