CANEGROWERS with standover crop from last season will have to wait a little bit longer to receive a promised $7 per tonne compensation payment.
The Sugar Industry Tribunal commissioner, Timothy Brown, said a verification program was still in process and announcement of payment would be made once this was completed.
"We are still trying to finalise who should be paid and who shouldn't and to do this we have to verify whether growers with standover cane have fulfilled their obligations because not every grower will receive this payment," he said.
Mr Brown added the verification process was taking some time because several factors had to be taken into account before the list of growers could be finalised.
"We have to look at growers commitments and whether they did try their best to deliver cane to the mill and we also have to take into account mill stoppages and adverse weather at the time," said Mr Brown.
Meanwhile growers' representative body the Fiji Cane Growers Association said industry stakeholders should be reminded that farmers were under immense financial hardship and struggling to make ends meet in the aftermath of two severe floods which hit the Western Division.
"Four months have gone by and two floods have hit. Growers are suffering and yet this payment has not been made. The Fiji Sugar Corporation should have put in a timeline and stood by their commitment to canegrowers รน they have to stop cheating farmers," said FCGA general secretary Bala Dass.
There is approximately 240,000 tonnes of standover cane from last season, however canegrowers supplying the Penang mill will not be receiving the compensation payment.