𝐁𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐡𝐢 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐄𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐂𝐚𝐧𝐞-𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞

On a recent field visit to Rakiraki, the Permanent Secretary for Multi-Ethnic Affairs and Sugar Industry was struck by an unusual sight: harvested sugarcane laid out in small heaps—or stockpiles—neatly scattered across the field. Curious, the Permanent Secretary halted his team to take a closer look at what appeared to be an unconventional method of cane arrangement.

Unlike the traditional Fijian practice where harvested cane is laid across the rows for trucks to drive through and collect, these heaps were uniformly spaced in piles across the field, awaiting manual loading.

To the Permanent Secretary’s surprise, the harvesting was being done by a group of Bangladeshi nationals—foreign workers who typically work in the construction sector during the week and take on cane harvesting over the weekend.

These workers were harvesting cane for well-known commercial farmer Mr. George Shiu Raj, and they expressed enthusiasm when the Permanent Secretary stopped to speak with them. They explained that this stockpiling method is common in their home country, where it helps reduce damage to the cane and eases the loading process.

“It was refreshing to see a different technique being applied in our own fields. These foreign workers, though engaged primarily in construction, were bringing with them a harvesting practice rooted in their homeland—and it appears to be both organized and maybe effective,” said the Permanent Secretary.

This encounter highlights how the Fijian sugar industry continues to evolve through both homegrown innovation and cross-cultural exchange. In the face of ongoing labour shortages, the contribution of temporary and foreign labour has become increasingly important to keeping farms operational during the peak harvest season.