Opposition MP Viam Pillay has accused the Fiji Sugar Corporation (FSC) of acting on sugarcane farmers' concerns only after public pressure was applied, claiming the corporation's recent engagement with the Ministry of Sugar came in response to issues he had raised on behalf of growers.

Responding to a recent FSC statement, Pillay welcomed the decision of the FSC Board and management to meet government officials in Suva and present the challenges facing cane farmers. However, he questioned why those concerns were not addressed earlier despite the corporation being aware of the situation, The Fiji Times reported.

According to Pillay, FSC officials knew about the difficulties confronting sugarcane growers well before the forecast cane price was announced. He alleged that the board failed to push for a more favourable forecast price at a critical time and only acted after the concerns became public.

The opposition lawmaker was particularly critical of FSC Chairman Nitya Reddy and the corporation's handling of farmer-related issues. He argued that growers had lost confidence in the board due to what he described as a gap between promises and actions.

Pillay said the delivery payment remains the most pressing issue for sugarcane farmers, stressing that current payment levels do not reflect increasing harvesting and transportation costs. He warned that many growers could face financial losses under the existing payment structure and may have to borrow money to begin harvesting during the current season.

He also referred to a pre-2022 election promise of $110 per tonne for cane and called on the Sugar Industry Tribunal and FSC to clarify how the recently announced guaranteed minimum cane price of $85 per tonne would affect delivery payments to farmers.

The MP urged authorities to revise the forecast price and introduce additional support measures, including fuel rebates for lorry operators and standardised rates for mechanical harvesting services.