Economic costs of the 2009 floods in the Fiji sugar belt and policy implications

The January 2009 floods in Fiji were reported as the worst in the history of the country since the 1931 floods. Many parts of the country were affected by a number of consecutive flood events that spread over several days. This study was undertaken to assess the economic costs of the recent floods on the sugar cane farmers, sugar cane production and household livelihoods, and cane access roads and farm drainage infrastructure. The study also aimed to identify policy options for minimizing flood-related disaster risk in the sugar belt of Fiji.