21 Jun 2002

Lautoka sugar mill averts legal action from cane farmers

11:14 am on 21 June 2002

The Lautoka sugar mill has given assurances that crushing will start today [FRI] after more than 200 cane farmers threatened legal action against the Fiji Sugar Corporation if there was further delay.

The farmers, whose growing contracts end with the expiry of farm leases at the end of this month, were poised to go to court to seek compensation for the losses incurred by the delay.

The chief executive of the Fiji Cane Growers Council, Jaganath Sami, says the mill could not start crushing as planned on Tuesday because of problems with the installation of new machinery.

But Mr Sami says the machinery is now in place, harvesting has begun, and losses will be minimal.

"There would be some inconvenience to the cane cutters who are brought in by the farmers, but no real losses because evrybody is paid by the tonnes of cane they harvest. Harvesting has only been delayed by two days, so no real loss. In fact we think we may have a little higher sugar content in the cane."

Jaganath Sami