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History of Fiji’s Sugar Industry

For much of Fiji’s modern history, sugar has been the driving economic force, employing thousands and pumping in millions of dollars in foreign exchange.

If you travel along the Queens’s highway past Sigatoka along Nadi, Lautoka and along the Suncoast, you will pass hundreds of acres of sprawling cane farms.If these cane farms and ones that precede them could tell stories they would fill volumes.

Indo-Fijians were originally brought into Fiji from India under the Girmit indentured labour system between 1879 and 1916 to work the sugar cane plantations. They found Fiji more promising than India and have lived here ever since, contributing significantly to the nation’s economy.

The British and other European colonial powers started the Indian indenture system in 1838, as a cheap source of labour to their colonies after African slavery was abolished in 1833. Under this system some 1.2 million Indians were transported to the colonies between 1838 and 1916. Some 60,500 Indians were transported to Fiji between 1879 and 1916, when the transportation of indentured Indian laborers was stopped.

The indenture system itself was abolished in 1921.The contracts of the indentured labourers, which they called GIRMIT or agreements, required them to work in Fiji for a certain period of time as specified in their agreements.

The British and other European colonial powers started the Indian indenture system in 1838, as a cheap source of labour to their colonies after African slavery was abolished in 1833

After 5 years of girmit they were free to return to India on their own expense. After 10 years of girmit, the colonial government was compelled to provide free passage back to India to every girmitiya and their children. In the case of Fiji, 25,000 girmitiyas returned to India, many even before 5 years of indenture. However the majority of the remaining 35,000 Fiji girmitiyas remained in Fiji and it is argued that they were prevented from returning to India by the colonial government of Fiji and the Colonial Sugar Refining Company (CSR) of Australia. This was done to ensure continued supply of Indian labour to Fiji's sugar industry, on which Fiji's economy depended at that time. The majority of todays Indo-Fijians are direct descendants of these exiled girmitiyas of Fiji.

Many prominent Indo-Fijian academics, politicians and professionals were reared on these humblerural farms going on to build impressive careers outside of farming.

First Sugar Mill

Crystallised sugar is believed to have been first made in Fiji in 1862 and shortly afterward as many as 35 sugar factories sprung up around the country, yet today only four remain.

The first sugar mill was built by early settlers, Brewster and Joske in Suva and the original site is a now a popular home-grown cooking restaurant called the Old Mill Cottage.

Early planters in the early 1870s mistakenly believed the crop would do well in wetter eastern division areas like Rewa butafter further investigation the industry was later centred at Labasa in the north and the western side of Viti Levu.

Penang Mill at Rakiraki started crushing sugar cane way back in 1881, the Rarawai Mill in Ba which was established in 1886 while the Labasa Mill was built in 1894. The Lautoka Mill which commenced crushing in 1903 is still is the largest mill in Fiji, and has been operating for 93 years

The current sugar industry in Fiji began shortly after the turn of last century, when the Colonial Sugar Refining Company (CSR) became the major player.

The CSR dominated into the early seventies and in 1971 the agreement relating to the acquisition by Government of the majority shareholding was enacted by Parliament. In order to streamline the industry operations Government created the Fiji Sugar Corporation (FSC) which came into existence on 1 April 1973.

In 1976 the Government established the Fiji Sugar Marketing Company Limited (FSM) to market Fiji sugar. FSC, a public company with Government shareholding, is the sole miller and operates the four existing mills, one of which is based in Labasa and three on Viti Levu.

At its peak Fiji used to produce as much as half a million tonnes of sugar but production in the past few years has lessened due to expiring land leases, poor mill performances and lower yields on farms.

Sugarcane is only grown on the main islands, Viti Levu and Vanua Levu and it has been largely driven by Indo-Fijians.

There are over 22,000 growers around the country but the harvest has fallen in recent years which the government is trying to address through industry reforms.

An extensive railway system was built in both Vanua Levu and Viti Levu to move cane quickly to mill from cane farming areas. Farmers also use trucks to cart their yield to the mills.Sugar will continue to play a prominent part in Fiji’s economic future.