Empowering Fiji’s sugar cane farmers to build sustainable futures

BLP is proud to partner with the Sugar Cane Growers Fund (SCGF) to help farmers access affordable finance, business advice and new opportunities beyond cane.

For generations, Fiji’s sugar cane growers have helped sustain rural communities and a nationally significant industry.

Today, however, many small farm businesses are operating in an increasingly difficult environment. Fluctuating international sugar prices, rising cultivation, harvesting and transport costs, labour shortages, climate-related shocks, lease uncertainty and land rezoning are all placing pressure on farming families and testing the resilience of the sector.

In this context, the SCGF is playing a vital role: providing practical financial support to farmers while helping them adapt, diversify and plan for a more sustainable future.

Since 2022, SCGF’s relationship with BLP, established through the New Zealand Pacific Aid Programme, has strengthened that mission. Together, SCGF and BLP have supported a concessionary loan facility that gives sugar cane farmers access to more affordable finance, while connecting them with subsidised advisory services and training that can help turn business plans into practical progress.

Rooted in Fiji’s sugar communities

SCGF has its origins in the 1940s, with the current body established by the Fiji Parliament in 1984 to provide financial support to registered sugar cane growers. Its purpose has always been closely tied to the needs of growers: offering loans that support cane production, improve efficiency, help farmers manage hardship and encourage initiatives that strengthen the wider sugar industry.

SCGF Chief Executive Officer Raj Sharma says the organisation’s reach is significant. There are around 10,000 sugar cane growers in Fiji, and approximately 4,000 have been supported by SCGF. Around 200,000 people are directly or indirectly dependent on the sugar industry, making support for growers an investment in Fiji families, communities and local economies.

With district offices in Lautoka, Nadi, Ba, Tavua, Rakiraki, Labasa and Seaqaqa, as well as weekly agency services to Sigatoka, the SCGF maintains direct links into the heart of Fiji’s sugar communities. This local presence enables the SCGF to build relationships with farmers, understand emerging needs and provide responsive support close to where growers live and work.

BLP funding to support resilience

Raj says price volatility has intensified the need for farmers to strengthen their businesses. “Sugar prices internationally have been up and down for the last five years or so, but this year it has really gone down. And that puts a lot of pressure on the sugar cane farmers to sustain themselves.”

The BLP-supported concessionary fund was created to help farmers access finance for diversification and resilience. Initially, the funding helped growers explore ginger production in the post-COVID period. “This really gave our farmers the impetus to plant alternative crops and develop additional income streams alongside cane,” said Raj.

The facility also reduces the cost of borrowing. While other cane farm loans are priced at 3.95%, Raj says loans under the BLP partnership are offered at 3.5%, providing a lower-cost option for farmers looking to invest in their businesses.

To date, $264,000 in loans has been provided to farmers through the BLP concessionary fund. Raj says those loans are already generating wider economic activity.

For SCGF, the partnership has also strengthened organisational capability. “Our relationship with the team at BLP is excellent,” Raj says. “We have a robust reporting system, and we are more organised because of them.”

Beyond cane: building market pathways

SCGF is increasingly looking beyond finance alone, helping farmers connect with market opportunities in high-value crops and new industries. Raj says the Fund is working to link growers with buyers and exporters, creating pathways that can support diversification beyond sugar cane.

Currently SCGF is exploring opportunities with exporters to supply green vegetables to Pacific Island markets through processing partners. For farmers, these connections can help turn access to finance into viable production plans connected to real demand.

For many growers, diversification is not only a commercial opportunity; it is a pathway to stability. Changing long-established farming practices can be challenging, but SCGF sees crop diversity as essential to helping farmers withstand shocks, capture new income and become stronger, more resilient enterprises.

Beyond finance, BLP has supported farmer training, technical advice and financial inclusion programmes across Fiji’s cane-growing regions, including the Northern Division. This practical support helping growers build the skills and confidence needed to manage diversified farm businesses and make informed investment decisions.

An evolving organisation

SCGF’s work is grounded in the long-term sustainability of Fiji’s sugar industry. That means supporting growth in its core business while helping farmers diversify, expand and invest in new services, technologies.  

Alongside BLP, SCGF is also working with international development partners, including the United Nations Capital Development Fund and the Asian Development Bank, to bring new funding, technical support and technology-driven solutions to growers.

Raj says farmers remain at the centre of SCGF’s strategy. The organisation is reviewing its own structures while integrating digital and automation solutions to improve service delivery, reduce friction and make support more accessible to growers. Recent achievements include:

Reduced lending interest rates, making SCGF one of the most affordable lenders available to growers.

1. More competitive fees and charges, reducing the cost of accessing finance and easing the financial burden on farming families, including probate fees discounted by 50%.
2. TISA Mortgage Protection Insurance to provide peace of mind for growers and their families.
3. Sun Insurance General House Insurance to safeguard Growers' homes and assets against unforeseen events and natural disasters.
4. Lower equity requirements and more flexible lending policies, especially for youths and women.
5. A Savings Scheme to encourage Growers to build and develop a savings culture and prepare for future investments and unexpected events.

In August 2026, the SCGF introduced three new initiatives aimed at modernising services, embracing technology and fostering inclusion across farming communities:

1.       A Document Management System to streamline information, record-keeping, and real-time access for faster loan approvals and heightened accountability.

At the launch of the Sugar Cane Growers Fund’s Document Management System (DMS), pictured from left to right are Mr. Marika Sedre Luveniyali, Chairman – SCGF; Mr. Avinesh Krishna, Managing Director – Computer 1; Hon. Esrom Immanuel, Minister for Finance; Hon. Tomasi Tunabuna, Minister for Agriculture, Waterways and Sugar Industry; Ms. Uzma Altaf, Gender Specialist – Asian Development Bank; and Mr. Lagi Fisher, Regional Coordinator – ITC.

2.       A SCGF AI Chatbot. Embracing artificial intelligence to deliver instant, 24/7 access to information and customer support.

At the launch of the SCGF Smart Chatbot, pictured from left to right are Mr. Raj Sharma, CEO – SCGF; Mr. Avinesh Krishna, Managing Director – Computer 1; Hon. Tomasi Tunabuna, Minister for Agriculture, Waterways and Sugar Industry; Hon. Esrom Immanuel, Minister for Finance; Ms. Uzma Altaf, Gender Specialist – Asian Development Bank; Mr. Lagi Fisher, Regional Coordinator – ITC; and Mr. Marika Sedre Luveniyali, Chairman – SCGF.

3.       A GEDSI (Gender Equality, Disability, and Social Inclusion) Framework to ensure policies, products, and services actively support men, women, youth, elderly farmers, and those with special abilities.

At the launch of the SCGF GEDSI Framework, pictured from left to right are Hon. Tomasi Tunabuna, Minister for Agriculture, Waterways and Sugar Industry; Ms. Uzma Altaf, Gender Specialist – Asian Development Bank; Mr. Avinesh Krishna, Managing Director – Computer 1; Ms. Reshmi Kumari, SCGF Board Member; Hon. Esrom Immanuel, Minister for Finance; Mr. Marika Sedre Luveniyali, Chairman – SCGF; and Mr. Raj Sharma, CEO – SCGF.

BLP contributed technical support and guidance to this new GEDSI Framework.  

"SCGF has taken a very important step towards inclusion. Its new Gender Equality and Social Inclusion framework will guide efforts to ensure inclusion in an industry that has been historically male dominated. We are pleased to support the SCGF in its inclusion journey," said Sandra Mendez, BLP's GEDSI lead.

SCGF is also exploring a mobile wallet overdraft loan that would operate like a small emergency credit facility, giving approved farmers access to funds when they need to make urgent purchases for their farms.

These services reflect SCGF’s shift from being solely a lender to being a broader partner in farmer resilience and rural development.

For Raj, these innovations are part of a bigger transformation: helping farmers move from vulnerability to resilience, from single-income dependence to diversified opportunity, and from traditional service models to more accessible, technology-enabled support.

Through an expansion of products and services, SCGF is combining affordable finance, practical advice, inclusive services and new market pathways to help Fiji’s sugar cane growers build stronger, more diversified businesses. Keeping farmers at the centre of its strategy, the SCGF is supporting the future of the sugar industry and the families, communities and rural economies that depend on it.

BLP supports SMEs across 12 Pacific Island nations by connecting businesses with quality advisory services, business tools, grants, concessionary lending, and other financial services designed to support inclusive and resilient private sector growth.

To start your journey with BLP, you can self-assess your needs by using the free online tools available to help small- and medium-sized businesses diagnose areas in their businesses that an advisor could improve.

The first step can be the online Business Health Check. You can also check your business's resilience to respond to crises or climate change challenges on the Business Continuity Planner and the Climate Action Sensor. If you prefer to meet a local BLP representative in person to discuss your business, get in touch with our local partners to arrange a face-to-face Diagnostic.