Bottom falling off the sugar industry

[posted 14 Sept 2009, 1630]

Latest figures to September 7 indicate yet again that the sugar industry is struggling to meet its export commitments to Tate and Lyle of London with whom it has a long term contract to supply 270,000 tonnes of sugar each season.

So far this year with half the season gone, FSC has only been able to export 49,000 tonnes. Another shipment of 29,000 tonnes is expected to leave by the end of the month. This should bring exports to 78,000 tonnes so far this year, if fully met – 12,000 tonnes short of what was originally planned.

By 7 September only 912,000 tonnes of cane had been crushed. The revised crop estimate for the season is around 2.3 million. All three larger mills – Lautoka, Labasa and Rarawai performed well below par in the week-ended 7 September.

The sad state of the industry can be attributed to the politics now being played against the growers by those in charge in league with FSC’s imported consultants and executives.

The Sugar Minister’s emphasis on “taking politics out of the industry” should perhaps be more appropriately replaced by “I will take the bottom off the industry”.