July 30, 2021
Picture: Minister for Agriculture, Waterways and Environment Hon. Dr Mahendra Reddy delivering his statement in Parliament. Photo: Parliament of Fiji
The Crop Extension Division of
the Ministry of Agriculture has been allocated $8.8m for its capital programmes
for the new financial year.
In responding to the 2021-2022
Budget, Minister for Agriculture, Waterways and Environment, Hon. Dr Mahendra
Reddy said this funding was earmarked to support on-the-ground activities,
directly supporting the farmers, and boosting agricultural production and
output.
“This funding will focus on provision
of planting materials, land preparation, supply of agro-inputs and farming
equipment’s - that will boost farm expansion and agriculture production.
“Some of the major programmes
supported through Extension would be Rice Farming Programme, Ginger Farming
Programme, Farm Mechanisation, Land Clearing, Highlands Farming Programme,
Export Promotion Programme and Food Security Programme,” explained the Minister.
Dr Reddy said the programmes and its
corresponding activities were designed to support the delivery of the
Ministry’s Strategic Development Plan, which was aligned to the National
Development Plan (NDP) and Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).
“We know for a fact that there is
an ever-high level of interest from people in all areas to take up agriculture
– we will utilize these funds to support these individuals who would like to
take up entrepreneurial agriculture.
“We do not believe the allocation
is insufficient even though we will have to significantly increase the level of
our service delivery and support to meet the increased demand, as we believe
and live by the motto of ‘doing more with less’, something each and every one
of us should embrace as a way of operating, and practice.”
Dr Reddy said the Ministry was
committed to ensure that in the coming financial year through all the financial
assistance offered, more and more subsistence farmers would be compelled to
elevate their farming status to semi-commercial level.
He added the Animal Health and
Production Division was allocated $11m to fund its capital programme in
2021-2022.
“This fund will also be shared
across the four geographical division whereby $1.5m will be allocated to the
Western Division to cover 26,000 agricultural household, $500k to the Eastern
Division to cover for 5,000 agricultural household and $8m to the Central
Division to cover 18,000 agricultural households.”
The Minister explained the
funding would cater for the provision of fencing material, stock improvement
and infrastructure support.
Fiji’s livestock sector, he said,
was at the cusp of expanding after years of subdued performance, and the
Ministry’s programmes would be aimed to grow livestock production not only for
domestic consumption but also for exports.
“We would also aim to support
potential investors having interest in this sector to establish their
operations and vertically integrate with farm level production activity so that
they have full control oversupply, quality, and value-add, and export from
Fiji.”
The Minister said in 2021-2022
one of the main focuses of the Ministry was to increase production and expand
agriculture to ensure that more farmers were engaged in commercial agriculture.
This, he added, would include
targeted activities in Crop and Livestock commodities such as ginger, rice,
beef, dairy, and goat.
“There is still untapped
potential in these areas and whilst we have increased output in these key
commodities, there is still more that needs to be done.”
-ENDS-