Fiji’s Sugar Bonanza

Record Crop, Assured Market

ALL seems bright on the Fiji sugar front at the present time. The biggest crop on re cord is expected for the current season; growers are receiving the last of the payments on last sea son’s crop, the price for which was a record 65/10 per ton; and the Commonwealth Sugar Agreement has been comfortably accommo dated within the framework of the larger World Sugar Agreement which was signed after a conference of 51 sugar-producing countries in London at the end of August.

The World Sugar Agreement has to be ratified by a sufficient num ber of the Governments who sent representatives to the conference, and then will come into effect on January 1, 1954. It will continue in force for five years.

Under the agreement, Fiji retains its quota of 125,000 tons, which it will sell to the UK at a price to be negotiated with the Ministry of Food each year; exports above that :onnage must be sold on the open narket. During the life of the Commonwealth Sugar Agreement— ibout three years—Fiji has not had nore than her UK quota to export mt may, this year, exceed the 25,000 tons quota set.

Moreover, this year’s record cane rop will certainly produce a re ord sugar output, as cane cut in nis year’s harvest weighs more per oot of stalk than previously.

Fiji’s biggest cane crop, to date, ccurred in 1936 when 1,097,892 )ns were crushed. This season’s rushing figures should be close to i million tons of cane.

It is estimated that cane growers ill receive anything up to £5 mil an for the new season’s cane. Add us to returns from gold and copra, ie rejuvenated banana industry id the new manganese industry, id there seems no likelihood of recession in Fiji trade for some ne to come. It may even be pos 3le to turn the unfavourable trade dance which the Colony has had r the past year or so into some mg more pleasing to local econo ists.