 Singh Sugar Minister Charan Jeath Singh should be investigated for spreading fake news and inciting fear and ill-will in the sugar industry, says the National Farmers Union. He claims “attempted arson” at the Lautoka Mill and also at the Rarawai Mill (two weeks ago) by “a group of disgruntled people whose self interests were more important than farmers”. Has he reported this to the Police? | Bagasse can be seen lying all over the floor at the Lautoka Mill  |
Instead, he is proposing that the Fiji Military Forces station soldiers at the Mills to ensure security.
“The minister is making very serious allegations. But has not provided a shred of evidence to back up his claims. He must be investigated for making wild, inflammatory statements to create fear and alarm,” says NFU general secretary Mahendra Chaudhry.
The minister’s so-called claims of a “mill arson attempt” at the Lautoka Mill which received front page headlines in the Fiji Times (29 Sept) turns out to be the burning of rubbish dumped in the mill yard by FSC, well away from the mill – as shown in the pics below.
The minister also claims that the fire at the Rarawai Mill was “an act of arson”.
His claim is absurd as noted from a statement by the National Fire Authority (FT 24 Sept) that the fire involved “diesel fuel, machinery and electrical components and may have been fuelled by bagasse scattered on the floor”.
This coincides with a Labour Party statement that the fire intensified through negligence with “diesel drenched bagasse lying scattered on the floor”.
Bagasse can be seen lying all over the floor at the Lautoka Mill in the pictures. This is a serious fire hazard but it continues to be ignored by mill management despite the warning from NFA.
“The Minister’s ‘conspiracy’ theories are designed to divert attention from the failures occurring under his watch. He is desperately looking for scapegoats as the mills move from one crisis to another.
The Minister should have the decency to take responsibility and resign.
“The minister is making very serious allegations. But has not provided a shred of evidence to back up his claims. He must be investigated for making wild, inflammatory statements to create fear and alarm,” says NFU general secretary Mahendra Chaudhry.
The minister’s so-called claims of a “mill arson attempt” at the Lautoka Mill which received front page headlines in the Fiji Times (29 Sept) turns out to be the burning of rubbish dumped in the mill yard by FSC, well away from the mill – as shown in the pics below.
The minister also claims that the fire at the Rarawai Mill was “an act of arson”.
His claim is absurd as noted from a statement by the National Fire Authority (FT 24 Sept) that the fire involved “diesel fuel, machinery and electrical components and may have been fuelled by bagasse scattered on the floor”.
This coincides with a Labour Party statement that the fire intensified through negligence with “diesel drenched bagasse lying scattered on the floor”.
Bagasse can be seen lying all over the floor at the Lautoka Mill in the pictures. This is a serious fire hazard but it continues to be ignored by mill management despite the warning from NFA.
“The Minister’s ‘conspiracy’ theories are designed to divert attention from the failures occurring under his watch. He is desperately looking for scapegoats as the mills move from one crisis to another.
The Minister should have the decency to take responsibility and resign.
Battle for the Heart and Soul of Fiji’s Cane Farmers: Charan Jeath Singh vs Mahendra Chaudhry
The simmering tensions within Fiji’s sugar industry have exploded into public view, with Sugar Minister Charan Jeath Singh and National Farmers Union (NFU) leader Mahendra Chaudhry locked in a bitter war of words over allegations of arson, negligence, and political responsibility. At stake is more than just the future of the sugar mills. It is a struggle for credibility, control, and the loyalty of the nation’s struggling cane farmers.
Arson or Alarmism? Singh's Explosive Allegations
The immediate spark for the latest clash came from Minister Charan Jeath Singh’s sensational claim that attempts had been made to sabotage two of Fiji’s key sugar mills - the Lautoka Mill and the Rarawai Mill - through acts of arson. According to Singh, a “group of disgruntled people whose self-interests were more important than farmers” were behind the incidents, and he even suggested deploying the Republic of Fiji Military Forces to guard the mills.
Such a claim, implying deliberate sabotage of critical national infrastructure, would normally trigger criminal investigations and public concern. But Singh has not, according to Chaudhry, provided any evidence to support his allegation or referred the matter to the police. Instead, his public comments have been accused of inflaming tension and spreading fear among already anxious farmers.
Chaudhry Strikes Back: “Minister Must Be Investigated”
Mahendra Chaudhry, NFU General Secretary and one of Fiji’s most seasoned political figures, wasted no time in firing back. Calling Singh’s claims “wild, inflammatory statements designed to create fear and alarm,” Chaudhry demanded that the minister himself be investigated for spreading false information.
“The minister is making very serious allegations. But he has not provided a shred of evidence to back up his claims,” Chaudhry said. “He must be investigated for making wild, inflammatory statements to create fear and alarm.”
Chaudhry’s comments were bolstered by reporting from the Fiji Times and the National Fire Authority (NFA), which both contradicted Singh’s narrative. The so-called “attempted arson” at Lautoka Mill, for instance, was reportedly nothing more than the burning of rubbish in a yard owned by the Fiji Sugar Corporation (FSC), far from the mill itself.
Similarly, the NFA concluded that the Rarawai fire likely involved diesel fuel, machinery, and scattered bagasse, pointing more to industrial negligence than deliberate sabotage.
Political Subtext: A Struggle for Farmer Trust
Beneath the surface of this dispute lies a much deeper political battle - one that has defined Fiji’s sugar industry for decades. Both Singh and Chaudhry are vying to present themselves as the true champion of cane farmers, a crucial political constituency whose loyalty can shape electoral outcomes and national policy.
Chaudhry, a former prime minister and long-time farmers’ advocate, has built his political career around the NFU and the grassroots struggles of rural Fiji. For him, Singh’s talk of sabotage is a cynical attempt to shift blame for the mills’ chronic failures -breakdowns, inefficiency, and declining productivity-away from government mismanagement and onto imagined enemies.
“The minister’s ‘conspiracy’ theories are designed to divert attention from the failures occurring under his watch,” the Labour Party statement declared. “He is desperately looking for scapegoats as the mills move from one crisis to another.”
For Singh, however, the narrative is different. He has positioned himself as a reformer willing to speak uncomfortable truths and tackle vested interests, including elements within the industry that, he argues, resist modernization and accountability. His arson claims, even if unproven, speak to a broader message: that powerful forces are undermining the government’s efforts to revive a struggling sector.
Safety vs Negligence: A Battle Over Accountability
The NFA’s findings, particularly the reference to “diesel-drenched bagasse lying scattered on the floor”, have become a focal point in this debate. Labour argues that such conditions are a glaring sign of FSC’s negligence, which has been repeatedly flagged but ignored by management. Bagasse, a fibrous byproduct of sugarcane, is highly flammable, and its careless handling poses an ongoing fire risk.
Photographs of mill conditions, with piles of combustible material strewn across factory floors, have further strengthened Chaudhry’s argument that management incompetence, not sabotage, is the root cause of the problem.
Singh’s critics argue that instead of calling in soldiers or blaming invisible saboteurs, the minister should be enforcing safety standards and holding FSC leadership accountable. They insist that leadership responsibility, not political scapegoating, is the only way to prevent future disasters.
A Crisis of Confidence
This latest clash is symptomatic of a deeper malaise in Fiji’s sugar industry, one that has seen decades of decline, politicization, and mistrust. Once the backbone of the national economy, the sector now faces mounting challenges: outdated infrastructure, falling yields, climate impacts, and growing disillusionment among farmers.
In such a context, the Singh-Chaudhry feud is not just a personal spat; it reflects two competing visions for the industry’s future. Singh represents a more centralised, state-driven approach focused on security, discipline, and modernization. Chaudhry embodies a populist, farmer-first model that seeks accountability, transparency, and grassroots empowerment.
Farmers Caught in the Crossfire
For Fiji’s sugarcane farmers, however, this political drama offers little immediate comfort. What they want is not accusations of arson or fiery press releases, but concrete solutions: reliable mills, fair prices, transparent governance, and an industry leadership they can trust.
Until that happens, the war of words between Charan Jeath Singh and Mahendra Chaudhry will continue, a proxy battle for the heart and soul of Fiji’s sugar belt, where the stakes are not just political careers, but the very survival of an industry that has shaped the nation’s history.
The simmering tensions within Fiji’s sugar industry have exploded into public view, with Sugar Minister Charan Jeath Singh and National Farmers Union (NFU) leader Mahendra Chaudhry locked in a bitter war of words over allegations of arson, negligence, and political responsibility. At stake is more than just the future of the sugar mills. It is a struggle for credibility, control, and the loyalty of the nation’s struggling cane farmers.
Arson or Alarmism? Singh's Explosive Allegations
The immediate spark for the latest clash came from Minister Charan Jeath Singh’s sensational claim that attempts had been made to sabotage two of Fiji’s key sugar mills - the Lautoka Mill and the Rarawai Mill - through acts of arson. According to Singh, a “group of disgruntled people whose self-interests were more important than farmers” were behind the incidents, and he even suggested deploying the Republic of Fiji Military Forces to guard the mills.
Such a claim, implying deliberate sabotage of critical national infrastructure, would normally trigger criminal investigations and public concern. But Singh has not, according to Chaudhry, provided any evidence to support his allegation or referred the matter to the police. Instead, his public comments have been accused of inflaming tension and spreading fear among already anxious farmers.
Chaudhry Strikes Back: “Minister Must Be Investigated”
Mahendra Chaudhry, NFU General Secretary and one of Fiji’s most seasoned political figures, wasted no time in firing back. Calling Singh’s claims “wild, inflammatory statements designed to create fear and alarm,” Chaudhry demanded that the minister himself be investigated for spreading false information.
“The minister is making very serious allegations. But he has not provided a shred of evidence to back up his claims,” Chaudhry said. “He must be investigated for making wild, inflammatory statements to create fear and alarm.”
Chaudhry’s comments were bolstered by reporting from the Fiji Times and the National Fire Authority (NFA), which both contradicted Singh’s narrative. The so-called “attempted arson” at Lautoka Mill, for instance, was reportedly nothing more than the burning of rubbish in a yard owned by the Fiji Sugar Corporation (FSC), far from the mill itself.
Similarly, the NFA concluded that the Rarawai fire likely involved diesel fuel, machinery, and scattered bagasse, pointing more to industrial negligence than deliberate sabotage.
Political Subtext: A Struggle for Farmer Trust
Beneath the surface of this dispute lies a much deeper political battle - one that has defined Fiji’s sugar industry for decades. Both Singh and Chaudhry are vying to present themselves as the true champion of cane farmers, a crucial political constituency whose loyalty can shape electoral outcomes and national policy.
Chaudhry, a former prime minister and long-time farmers’ advocate, has built his political career around the NFU and the grassroots struggles of rural Fiji. For him, Singh’s talk of sabotage is a cynical attempt to shift blame for the mills’ chronic failures -breakdowns, inefficiency, and declining productivity-away from government mismanagement and onto imagined enemies.
“The minister’s ‘conspiracy’ theories are designed to divert attention from the failures occurring under his watch,” the Labour Party statement declared. “He is desperately looking for scapegoats as the mills move from one crisis to another.”
For Singh, however, the narrative is different. He has positioned himself as a reformer willing to speak uncomfortable truths and tackle vested interests, including elements within the industry that, he argues, resist modernization and accountability. His arson claims, even if unproven, speak to a broader message: that powerful forces are undermining the government’s efforts to revive a struggling sector.
Safety vs Negligence: A Battle Over Accountability
The NFA’s findings, particularly the reference to “diesel-drenched bagasse lying scattered on the floor”, have become a focal point in this debate. Labour argues that such conditions are a glaring sign of FSC’s negligence, which has been repeatedly flagged but ignored by management. Bagasse, a fibrous byproduct of sugarcane, is highly flammable, and its careless handling poses an ongoing fire risk.
Photographs of mill conditions, with piles of combustible material strewn across factory floors, have further strengthened Chaudhry’s argument that management incompetence, not sabotage, is the root cause of the problem.
Singh’s critics argue that instead of calling in soldiers or blaming invisible saboteurs, the minister should be enforcing safety standards and holding FSC leadership accountable. They insist that leadership responsibility, not political scapegoating, is the only way to prevent future disasters.
A Crisis of Confidence
This latest clash is symptomatic of a deeper malaise in Fiji’s sugar industry, one that has seen decades of decline, politicization, and mistrust. Once the backbone of the national economy, the sector now faces mounting challenges: outdated infrastructure, falling yields, climate impacts, and growing disillusionment among farmers.
In such a context, the Singh-Chaudhry feud is not just a personal spat; it reflects two competing visions for the industry’s future. Singh represents a more centralised, state-driven approach focused on security, discipline, and modernization. Chaudhry embodies a populist, farmer-first model that seeks accountability, transparency, and grassroots empowerment.
Farmers Caught in the Crossfire
For Fiji’s sugarcane farmers, however, this political drama offers little immediate comfort. What they want is not accusations of arson or fiery press releases, but concrete solutions: reliable mills, fair prices, transparent governance, and an industry leadership they can trust.
Until that happens, the war of words between Charan Jeath Singh and Mahendra Chaudhry will continue, a proxy battle for the heart and soul of Fiji’s sugar belt, where the stakes are not just political careers, but the very survival of an industry that has shaped the nation’s history.
