Attorney General and Minister for Economy Aiyaz Sayed Khaiyum tip the first sugar cane cart to officially open the crushing season for the Lautoka mill. Picture: REINAL CHAND

On the day it officially opened for the 2022 crushing season, the Lautoka sugar mill suffered a break down, forcing truck drivers to wait for more than 24 hours to deliver cane.

A team from this newspaper visited the site on Friday afternoon and witnessed cane-laden trucks lined up outside the mill.

Lorry operators from as far as Rakiraki and Sigatoka were camped outside, waiting for word from Fiji Sugar Corporation officials.

“Some of us have been here since Tuesday,” one operator claimed.

“We are here without any spare clothes or any extra money for food.

“No one has to come to us to tell us why the mill broke down or when they will be able to fix it. We have to be told so we can know what to do or when to deliver the cane.” Another driver said harvesting at his farm had been put on hold.

“We now have labourers that are not working because they can’t cut cane but we still have to buy them food,” he said.

Fiji Sugar Corporation CEO Bhan Pratap Singh said on the first day of crushing, delays were anticipated.

“We have to sort out some issues in the process and on the first day we have to adjust things at the mill,” he said. “The mill should be up and running later today (yesterday).”

Copyright © 2022 Fiji Times Limited. All Rights Reserved.

Copyright © 2022 Fiji Times Limited. All Rights Reserved.