Our Islands
Our Islands
Fiji Sugar Corporation
Fiji sugar corporation limited (FSC) is Fiji’s sugar milling company and the largest in the South Pacific. It was incorporated by an act of parliament in 1972, to take over the milling activities from SPSM and CSR limited in 1973. Fsc operates three sugar mills, two on Viti Levu in Lautoka and Rarawai in Ba and a third in Labasa in Vanua Levu. During the crushing season, usually from May
to December, Fsc is the largest private sector employer with
a workforce not exceeding 1,800.
VISION
To transform sugar cane farming to a sustainable and profitable
Farming activity for cane growers with sugar as a
World‐class brand, now and into the future.
MISSION
To manufacture quality sugar as a food product, in efficient low cost sugar Factories to market Fiji sugar by capturing its brand value for best prices to
a diverse customer base. With proud, motivated employees and stakeholders
Supporting Fiji sugar as a key national asset.
Our People
FSC is one of Fiji’s largest employers with around 1,000 employees. This figure doubles during the crushing season. FSC’s employees are varied in both technical and administration based. FSC is guided by a set of corporate values that define who we are and how we work. With integrity and safety at the core of these values, we strive to minimize our hazards and environmental impacts. And where possible, FSC engages in activities that promote community welfare.
Board of directors
Nitya Reddy
Chairman
Ratu Jone Mataove Qomate
Kaison Chang
Athil Narayan
Maciusela Naqesa Lumelume
Paras Ram Reddy
Akisi Vinaka
Jay Lal
Our management
Bhan Pratap Singh
Chief Executive Officer
Mikaele Biukoto
Chief Operating Officer
Vacant
Chief Human Resources Officer
Deepak Raj
Head of Finance
Lakshman Jayaraman
Head of Agriculture
Leela Ramesh
General Manager
Labasa Mill
Iliyaz Khan
General Manager
Rarawai Mill
Michael Faktaufon
General Manager
Lautoka Mill
Our structure
The Corporation is the largest public company in Fiji. It has a Board of Directors appointed during the Annual General Meeting and is the policy-making and governing body.
With the farmers wanting more say in the industry decision-making, Government decided on reforms within the industry. The Sugar Industry Act of 1984 restructured the industry. It established three new organizations, namely the Sugar Industry Tribunal and the Sugar Cane Growers Council.
Agricultural experimental organization is now a part of the FSC and is known as the Sugarcane Research Institute of Fiji.
It also established Mill Area Committees as an advisory body on local sugar matters. The Tribunal deals with the contractual relations between farmers and FSC, and any disputes and differences within the industry. The Sugar Cane Growers Council specifically deals with the farmer's interests. The workers in FSC have their trade unions to represent their interests.
One of the major functions of the Sugar Industry Tribunal is to establish and regulate a master award to control the contractual relationship between FSC and the cane farmer. The master award came into effect on 23rd November 1989 and has now replaced the sugar cane contract.
One of the biggest sugar expansion projects undertaken in the Fiji sugar industry is Seaqaqa cane development scheme, where over 5000 hectares were brought under cane by 1980. This project cost $22 million and has accommodated 800 Fijian and Indian farmers. Funds were borrowed from the World Bank to help finance the project
Our History
Sugar cane is thought to be indigenous to the islands of the South Pacific. It was found growing in Fiji by the early European discoverers and settlers. Fijians grew sugar cane for chewing and they are known to have used the juice for sweetening food.
Cotton production in the United States slumped during the civil war of the early 1860's and world markets opened to new producers. Prospects for cotton growing in Fiji looked bright. Cotton enterprises in Fiji began to fail when the civil war ended and American plantations began to recover.
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1862: first sugar produced in Fiji was made on the island of Wakaya by Mr. David Whippy.
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1870: The sugar had displaced copra as the country's main export-the position it has held to this day. An early boost to the sugar industry came from Ratu Cakobau, who was worried about a decline in Fiji's economy because of internal strife and cotton's failure.
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1871: Ratu Cakobau offered 500 pounds sterling for "the first and best" crop of 20 tons of sugar produced from locally grown cane.
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1872: Brewer and Joske erected a small experimental sugar mill in Suva, followed by a larger mill a year later. About 640 acres of cane were planted on the site now largely occupied by the City of Suva.
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1879: British Government brought indentured from India to work on cotton, coffee, sugar and other plantations. Most of them stayed on when sugar became the main crop and more Indians came to Fiji until the indenture system ended in 1916.laborers
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1916: Plantation workers became very scarce. To solve the labour problem, several schemes were tried before the small-farm system was developed. Indian farmers were settled on farms averaging 4.05 hectares, with the farmer and his family doing most of the work.
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1880: The Colonial Sugar Refining Company, a well-established Australian company, started in Fiji in 1880, and it brought more resources and experience than previous entrepreneur. CSR's first mill commenced operating at Nausori in 1882. In the following years four more mills were established
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1886: CSR’s Rarawai Mill on the bank of the Ba Riv
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1894: Labasa Mill on Vanua Levu
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1903: CSR's largest mill commenced crushing at Lautoka
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1926: Penang Mill, founded by the two Wilmer brothers in 1881 at Rakiraki was acquired by CSR from the Melbourne state Company
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1961: CSR Company Ltd formed a Fiji subsidiary, South Pacific Sugar Mills Ltd (SPSM)
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1972: The Fiji Sugar Corporation was incorporated in Fiji by an Act of Parliament in 1972 to take the milling activities with effect from 1 April 1973.
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31 March 1973: SPSM Ltd shares were offered to the people of Fiji and only a small number (2%) of shares were purchased by the public. Following an award by Lord Denning on the sharing of proceeds with growers, which was deemed to be unacceptable, CSR Ltd withdrew from the Fiji sugar industry. Government bought CSR's interest in the company for $10 million.