FSC 'caught' secretly dumping toxic cane juice
The Fiji Sugar Corporation is secretly dumping tonnes of toxic cane juice with high sugar content from its troubled Lautoka Mill into nearby premises, resulting in huge losses to the industry.
The foul smelling juice is removed from the factory in the wee hours of the morning, dumped into pits dug near the South Pacific Fertiliser factory and covered with mill mud to avoid detection.
We are aware of two such secret operations, carried out in the early hours of Sunday 30 June 2024 and again at 3.30am on 7 July 2024 using a specially constructed truck tanker.
The Environment and Health authorities are either unaware of this dumping or have been told to turn a blind eye to it.
NFU had recently expressed concern at how growers, and indeed, the industry as a whole, are losing millions of dollars in wasted sugar from the malfunctioning Lautoka and Rarawai Mills. The above examples are part of the continuing saga.
We are informed of large quantities of manufactured sugar spilled on the filthy floor of the Lautoka Mill due to faulty conveyor belts, being regularly washed down the drains into the sea.
Lack of accountability
FSC stopped issuing weekly statistical reports on the performance of the mills ever since the current management took charge. So, there is now no information available to the growers on the actual crushing results, including mill stoppages, TCTS and so on.
The National Farmers Union is simply shocked at such attempts by FSC to cover up its failures and hide the true state of its ailing mills from the growers who have a 70% stake in the industry. There is a complete lack of accountability and transparency in the milling operations.
The quantity of cane crushed so far is well below the budgeted figures for the season. We have been able to establish from industry sources that the TCTS ratio is extremely high, averaging at 15 tonnes of cane to make one tonne sugar – 5 tonnes more than the norm. This is intolerable, signifying loss to growers in millions of dollars.
Another concern related to the ailing mills is the extremely long hours lorry drivers are being forced to wait to off-load cane at the mills due to the frequent stoppages and the extremely low crushing rate.
NFU is informed that the wait can be as long as 24 hours as they queue to off-load. This itself is an inhumane imposition confining the drivers to their lorries for long hours without adequate rest, shower or meals.
Environmental Pollution
FSC is now contributing heavily to environmental pollution. It is dumping the toxic juice which will eventually find its way into the sea, polluting the ocean.
It is doing the same in Labasa where cane juice overflows pumped into the Qawa River, emanate foul smell and endanger marine life. The Ba River is getting similarly polluted by outflows from the Rarawai Mill.
Inaction on the part of the authorities to prosecute FSC, is merely encouraging the Corporation not to fix this chronic problem.
The Fiji Sugar Corporation is secretly dumping tonnes of toxic cane juice with high sugar content from its troubled Lautoka Mill into nearby premises, resulting in huge losses to the industry.
The foul smelling juice is removed from the factory in the wee hours of the morning, dumped into pits dug near the South Pacific Fertiliser factory and covered with mill mud to avoid detection.
We are aware of two such secret operations, carried out in the early hours of Sunday 30 June 2024 and again at 3.30am on 7 July 2024 using a specially constructed truck tanker.
The Environment and Health authorities are either unaware of this dumping or have been told to turn a blind eye to it.
NFU had recently expressed concern at how growers, and indeed, the industry as a whole, are losing millions of dollars in wasted sugar from the malfunctioning Lautoka and Rarawai Mills. The above examples are part of the continuing saga.
We are informed of large quantities of manufactured sugar spilled on the filthy floor of the Lautoka Mill due to faulty conveyor belts, being regularly washed down the drains into the sea.
Lack of accountability
FSC stopped issuing weekly statistical reports on the performance of the mills ever since the current management took charge. So, there is now no information available to the growers on the actual crushing results, including mill stoppages, TCTS and so on.
The National Farmers Union is simply shocked at such attempts by FSC to cover up its failures and hide the true state of its ailing mills from the growers who have a 70% stake in the industry. There is a complete lack of accountability and transparency in the milling operations.
The quantity of cane crushed so far is well below the budgeted figures for the season. We have been able to establish from industry sources that the TCTS ratio is extremely high, averaging at 15 tonnes of cane to make one tonne sugar – 5 tonnes more than the norm. This is intolerable, signifying loss to growers in millions of dollars.
Another concern related to the ailing mills is the extremely long hours lorry drivers are being forced to wait to off-load cane at the mills due to the frequent stoppages and the extremely low crushing rate.
NFU is informed that the wait can be as long as 24 hours as they queue to off-load. This itself is an inhumane imposition confining the drivers to their lorries for long hours without adequate rest, shower or meals.
Environmental Pollution
FSC is now contributing heavily to environmental pollution. It is dumping the toxic juice which will eventually find its way into the sea, polluting the ocean.
It is doing the same in Labasa where cane juice overflows pumped into the Qawa River, emanate foul smell and endanger marine life. The Ba River is getting similarly polluted by outflows from the Rarawai Mill.
Inaction on the part of the authorities to prosecute FSC, is merely encouraging the Corporation not to fix this chronic problem.
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