The value of domestic exports for fresh/chilled crop and livestock for the first half of this year was $51.5m, an increase of 8.6per cent from the same period in 2020.

Ministry of Agriculture, Permanent Secretary, Mr Ritesh Dass said this was one of the major

highlights of the key trade statistics and performance of the agriculture sector with particular emphasis on crop and livestock commodities for the first six months of 2021 compiled by the Ministry’s Fiji Agriculture and Rural Statistics Unit.

“It is interesting to note as well that the value of domestic exports recorded an average growth of 14per cent for the first half of the year for the years 2019, 2020 and this year.

This is indeed quite significant and shows that our fresh/chilled crop and livestock commodities and products are popular and in demand,” Mr. Dass explained.

He said another key point to highlight was the reduction of imports for fresh/chilled crop and livestock by 10.4per cent or $174.8m compared to the same period last year. Last year, he added, the value of imports for fresh/chilled crop and livestock from January to June was $195m.

“Other significant highlights of the key trade statistics and performance of the agriculture sector

was the major export produce where ginger exports increased by 100per cent and raked in $2.2m.

Turmeric is another commodity that did very well with exports increasing by 64.2per cent or amounting to $8.7m. Taro is the other crop that also recorded positive results with an increase of

12.2per cent or $13.8m,” Mr Dass said.

In terms of Fiji’s trading partners, he said, the United States, and neighbors New Zealand and Australia continued to be the leading countries we exported our fresh/chilled crop and livestock to.

“The US is our top country to export our kava and turmeric to for the first half of this year. New Zealand is our second largest country where other vegetables, fresh or chilled have been their major demand, followed by kava, taro, turmeric, ginger, and mixture of spices. Australia is the third

largest trading partner where they have had the biggest demand for our taro and ginger,” he added.

Though kava exports raked in $19.4million in revenue during this period, this reflected a slight decrease of 5.8% from January – June 2021, as compared to the same period last year.

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