Smallholder cane sugar farmers and cooperative leaders from three countries came together in Lautoka, Fiji in March 2026 for an event designed to do more than share updates. Over three days, from March 11 to 13, producers from India, the Philippines, and Fiji participated in a Sugar Product Network Meeting, Policy Advocacy Training, and Roundtable Discussion on EU Sustainability Regulations. The event was organised by Fairtrade NAPP with the co-funding support of the European Union under the ECFFPA "The Future is Fair" project (2024-2027). Eighteen producer representatives from five Fairtrade-certified producer organizations took part, four of which were engaging with ECFFPA-supported activities for the first time. 

The Fairtrade cane sugar sector is navigating a period of real pressure. Globally, around 100 million people are involved in cane sugar production, with approximately 47,700 Fairtrade-certified farmers organized across 83 producer organizations in 17 countries. Farmers in Fiji, India, and the Philippines face a shared set of challenges: climate change, declining productivity, limited Fairtrade market access, rising compliance costs, and evolving international regulations.

At the same time, the European Union has been expanding its sustainability legislation, including the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) and the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), which directly affect global agricultural supply chains, including sugar. While these regulations carry goals that align with Fairtrade principles, they risk creating compliance duties that sometimes fall disproportionately on small-scale farmers who lack the resources to navigate complex regulatory requirements.

The Lautoka meeting was designed to give producers the knowledge, skills, and collective voice to respond to these pressures together.

Day 1: Sugar Network Meeting

The first day opened with a welcome address by Fairtrade NAPP CEO, Bindu S., who joined virtually and underlined the importance of producers using this platform to share experiences, build relationships, and strengthen the network across borders.

Amit Das, Regional General Manager for South Asia and Fiji, set the tone for the day by describing the Sugar Product Network as a shift from a discussion platform to a producer-led action stream. He outlined the network's key strategic directions: expanding market and buyer engagement, scaling successful pilots, improving communication and visibility through shared success stories, strengthening producer leadership, and building policy and advocacy linkages.

Sugar Advisory Committee members from India, the Philippines, and Fiji each presented their country's current situation, covering existing challenges, ongoing activities, Fairtrade Premium projects, and plans for 2026 and beyond. Common priorities that emerged across the three countries included: strengthening Fairtrade certification, improving productivity, which has declined in all three countries due to climate-related pressures including typhoons in the Philippines, drought and flooding in Fiji, and rising input costs in India and expanding Fairtrade sales, both in existing markets such as the UK, Germany, and Switzerland, and in new markets across Asia-Pacific.

The afternoon session featured presentations by National Fairtrade Organizations (NFOs) from the UK, Austria, and Switzerland, offering insights into the Fairtrade sugar market in their respective countries. These expert-led sessions provided a comprehensive overview of global sugar trends, emerging market opportunities, and the strategic outlook for Fairtrade sugar. Contributors included Monika Berresheim (Senior Advisor – Fairtrade Sugar), among others. These discussions helped producers better understand buyer expectations, particularly around consistent quality, robust impact data, and greater supply chain transparency. Key market figures shared during the session:

• The UK is the largest Fairtrade sugar market globally, with approximately 35,000 metric tonnes sold in 2025.
• Switzerland holds an 88% Fairtrade cane sugar market share, one of the highest in the world.
• Globally, Fairtrade cane sugar sales reached approximately 157,332 metric tonnes in 2024, a 10% increase from the previous year, generating around EUR 8.8 million in Fairtrade Premium.

The day closed with Amit Das presenting Fairtrade NAPP's strategic plan for 2026-2028, followed by country-specific planning sessions where producers and Fairtrade NAPP team agreed on three-year priorities and deliverables.

ECFFPA and "The Future is Fair" Project

One of the defining features of this gathering was the active involvement of the ECFFPA through its "The Future is Fair" project (2024-2027). This project specifically supports advocacy capacity in Fairtrade producer networks in the Asia-Pacific region.

The Lautoka meeting marked an important milestone for this project: four of the five participating producer organizations were engaging in ECFFPA-supported activities for the first time. This reflects the project's growing reach and its commitment to broadening the base of producers who can participate meaningfully in advocacy.

ECFFPA's support made it possible to combine the Sugar Network Meeting with dedicated advocacy training and high-level government dialogue, resulting in a integrated programme that connected field realities, market knowledge, and policy engagement into a coherent three-day experience for producers.

Day 2: Policy Advocacy Training & Roundtable on EU Sustainability Regulations

The second day opened with a hands-on Policy Advocacy Training session designed specifically for Fairtrade sugar producer leaders. Participants identified their own advocacy priorities, developed key messages, mapped stakeholders, and practiced engagement with decision-makers through group exercises. We have a separate news on the said training, Click here to read.

The afternoon of the second day brought together a broader group of stakeholders for a Roundtable Discussion on EU sustainability regulations, with a focus on the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD). The roundtable included representatives from the Fiji Sugar Corporation, the Ministry of Agriculture, Waterways and Sugar Industry Fiji, and the Sugarcane Growers Fund, institutions that Fairtrade producer organizations do not typically meet with in standard network meetings or training sessions.

Producers from Fiji, India, and the Philippines presented their firsthand experiences in the "Producer Perspectives" segment, covering the real costs of compliance, traceability requirements, and market access limitations. Key advocacy recommendations were collectively developed and documented in a shared policy brief.

Some of the key recommendations from the roundtable included:

• Each cooperative should formalize a three-person advocacy team responsible for implementing a 30-60-90-day action plan, supported by the Sugar Advocacy Working Group.
• Cooperatives should begin systematically mapping sugarcane plots and documenting land-use history to prepare for EUDR compliance requirements, which can also serve as a competitive advantage with EU buyers.
• Cooperative submissions to theMinistry of Agriculture, Waterways and Sugar Industry Fiji regarding transparent, formula-based pricing reform with the Fiji Sugar Corporation should be prioritized as a near-term advocacy target.
• The Sugar Advocacy Working Group should convene within 30 days of the training to agree on collective priorities, assign roles, and establish a communication and coordination protocol.

Government dialogue at the roundtable produced meaningful engagement. Discussions with the Fiji Sugar Corporation, the Ministry of Agriculture, Waterways and Sugar Industry Fiji, and the Sugarcane Growers Fund covered government schemes available to sugar producers, challenges in Fairtrade sugar sales, and opportunities to collaborate with the Fiji Research Institute. This kind of multi-stakeholder dialogue was identified as something producers would not typically have access to through routine meetings alone.

Day 3: Field Visit to Lautoka

On the third day, participants visited sugarcane fields and Fairtrade Premium-funded community projects of the Lautoka Cane Producers Association. The visit gave producers from India and the Philippines a direct look at how Fairtrade Premium investments translate into community benefits on the ground in Fiji.

Projects visited included a bus shelter near a local school, a covered walking passage for students, and a shaded rest area for school children, all funded through Fairtrade Premium from cane sugar sales. The visit illustrated a simple but important point, the journey from sugarcane field to consumer shelf carries real consequences for communities, and Fairtrade Premium ensures some of those benefits flow back to the people who grow it.

Outcomes and Next Steps

The three-day event generated a clear set of outcomes that participants and NAPP will carry forward:

• The Sugar Advocacy Working Group was formally activated, bringing together producer leaders from Fiji, India, and the Philippines as a collective advocacy structure for the Fairtrade sugar sector in Asia-Pacific.
• Country-specific action plans and deliverables for 2026-2028 were agreed upon between producer organization representatives and Fairtrade NAPP.
• A dialogue was established with the Fiji Sugar Corporation, the Ministry of Agriculture, Waterways and Sugar Industry Fiji, and the Sugarcane Growers Fund, with the potential for ongoing government-level collaboration.
• Follow-up actions were assigned, including proposal development for new projects, systematic documentation of farmer stories for evidence-based advocacy, and preparation of EUDR compliance documentation by each cooperative.
• Producers committed to sharing their activities, premium projects, and impact stories with buyers more regularly, to improve visibility with Fairtrade markets.

In Their Own Words

"The sugar network meet, the Policy advocacy training and the Round Table discussion on EU sustainability was a great opportunity for everyone to gain knowledge on situations in different countries, sugarcane cultivation practices across regions, exchange of information, cross learning and experience. Good ideas about the FT premium projects in different SPOs.

- Balasubramani Dass,
Lautoka Cane Producers Association, Fiji

"It was a great opportunity to meet the people from different countries. Gained a lot of experience by interacting with producers from Fiji and the Philippines. The FT Sugar network meeting has brought different sugar producing countries under one platform to discuss and share information, innovations, and technologies across different regions. Awareness on advocacy was a nice experience. It was a great experience overall."

- Tukuram Yadav,
Arjunsond Organic Farmers Co-operative Society Ltd, India

Looking Ahead

This meeting was as much about momentum as it was about outputs. For the first time, Fairtrade cane sugar producers from three countries in the Asia-Pacific region sat together in the same room, heard each other's challenges, and agreed on a shared advocacy direction. With the continued support of the ECFFPA "The Future is Fair" project and NAPP's strategic plan for 2026-2028, the Sugar Advocacy Working Group will carry forward what was started in Lautoka, working toward fairer policies, better market conditions, and stronger livelihoods for cane sugar farmers across the region.