Fiji's heavy reliance on imported goods for domestic consumption, particularly in the food sector needs to be addressed. 

Additionally, calls are being made for corporate bodies to more actively promote locally produced foods and products to substitute and minimize imported goods and subsequent import bills.

While speaking during the Agriculture Food Fair in Koronivia this week, Minister for Agriculture Hon. Dr Mahendra Reddy said this is the sole reason Fiji is not spared from the shocks that drove inflation, highlighting that it was about time we developed our locally grown products for local use to help reduce import bills.

"The Ministry of Agriculture has over the years conducted research into a composite flour where imported wheat and local crop based flour are blended into a ratio that is best suited for local bakery and pastry products. This includes using flour processed from Taro, Cassava, Breadfruit, Kumala, Rice and Maize in composition with wheat flour.

"The production and processing of these flours can very easily be adopted in rural and maritime settings. 

"Commercial companies can also take this up as a production concept and make it readily available to our people. Apart from its nutritive value, these flours are gluten free and are therefore healthy and suitable for those who need special diets.

Hon. Reddy highlighted the work being carried out by the Ministry's Product Development Unit based at the Koronivia Research Station stating that experiments conducted by the PDU had shown that a blend of 80 – 90% local crop flour mixed with 10- 20% wheat, could be successfully used to prepare bread and pastry products significantly contributing to major savings in our foreign exchange. 

"That is why we are here today, it is to witness some of the products that can be successfully prepared using this blend. If our food processing companies substitute wheat flour with our local commodity flours, the result would be a decrease in the wheat import bill and an increase in local resource utilization in the agriculture sector," said Hon. Reddy.

The estimated food import bill of FJ $783.4 million in 2021 is a substantial cost driven by Fiji’s tourism sector. In 2019 alone, Fiji imported around $94.6m worth of wheat and in 2021 the import bill increased to $108m.

"Records also showed that Fiji imported 24,000 tonnes of wheat in 1971 and in 2021 imported a total of 145,000 tonnes illustrating an increase of 83% over 50 years and 5.4 % annually. One of the main reasons for the increase is attributed to the change in the eating habits of our population.

"The increase in import bill is a cause for concern in our island nation. Just like petroleum, wheat prices depend on world economic stability and there is no guarantee that world prices may or may not increase further and any further increase would definitely marginalize the average to poverty-stricken citizens of Fiji," said Minister Reddy.

"While we rely on imported food, we must also consider innovation that will revolutionize our agri food systems. We need to consider wherever possible to substitute imported goods or, produce and manufacture food that can complement our local products. 

"This will not only increase agricultural productivity in the country but will also enhance farmers’ income and reduce overall food costs ensuring food and nutrition security for all Fijians," he added.

Additionally, he stressed that though there was an abundance of root crops available in the country, Fiji still remained at only 20% self-sufficiency in rice production and more efforts were needed to increase local rice production.  

"Public private partnerships give rise to scientific research and academia. The importance of participation of a range of actors in agriculture innovation is increasingly recognized to co-create knowledge and increase capacities to adapt and innovate throughout agri food systems," he said.

"With the Food Fair, stakeholders and food manufacturers are encouraged to engage with Agriculture experts for advise on Root Crop flour production. 

"This is the time to educate yourselves on nutritional benefits of local agriculture and how such foods can reduce non communicable diseases and increase farmer’s income improving competitiveness, sustainability and resilience of the Agriculture sector," Hon. Reddy stated.

'I encourage all of you stakeholders to utilize these research findings and work with our local experts and agriculture staffs in increasing the use of local produce in our daily diets," he reiterated.

The Food Fair Event was organized to showcase the products developed by the Ministry's Product Development Unit with the theme "Soaring Food Prices - Go Local", and was aimed at corporate bodies to push local food initiatives forward.

-Ends-

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