Picture: Minister for Agriculture Dr Mahendra Reddy talking to the farmers on off season vegetable production.

There are no safer hands than ours when it comes to the security of our food and nutrition.

This was the message relayed by Minister for Agriculture, Waterways and Environment Hon. Dr. Mahendra Reddy while addressing farmers in the Western Division this week while distributing offer letters to successful agriculture programme recipients. 

Dr. Reddy stressed that the Ministry’s main objective was the rapid expansion of the agriculture sector, agricultural production and exports, while at the same time ensuring the food security of households throughout Fiji.   

“Throughout these past three years, we’ve been trying to persuade the people in Fiji about the need to take control over the production of basic agricultural commodities.

“We need to ensure that we’ve got enough supply of food and that is the only way of controlling or dealing with the issue of inflation; we’ve got enough agricultural commodities to replace the imported ones, even to the extent where we can replace wheat, we had cassava flour, we had other flours that 30 years ago our people used to use, we’ve got cornflour to make or bake roti and bread etc. these are some ways we can deal with the sudden increase in prices of food in the market,” he said. 

He also stressed that it was time now to relook at what was the best crop to plant for farmers to ensure a continued supply of fresh produce.

“You all are now realizing how food costs are rising in the country due to external factors, a rise in price from the source countries, increasing freight costs coupled with a shortage in supply, so all these factors are causing a rise in the price of food products that is being retailed in our local supermarkets and local outlets.

“So we are saying to farmers and landowners and households, utilize the available land around you, or with you or in your Mataqali for the benefit of your Mataqali, your household and the country’s benefit. 

“So in this scenario, we want people in Fiji, particularly those who have land, farmers or landowners, you must grow as much food as possible for yourselves and to sell it to others at a reasonable price,” said Minister Reddy.

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