Senior officers of the Ministry of Agriculture and Waterways have been advised to carry out development work strategically on the ground within the planning framework to enhance the livelihoods of the people.

This was highlighted by the Minister for Agriculture and Waterways, Hon. Vatimi Rayalu during the two-day consultation on the Ministry’s Costed Operational Plan (COP) recently.

Hon. Rayalu highlighted the necessity of organizing properly to deal with problems faced by the people in the agricultural sector.

He said the one-year Costed Operational Plan aligns with the Ministry's 5-year Strategic Development Plan (SDP) and is a crucial document for annual programming, budgeting, and project implementation in any financial year.

“Despite having a planning framework, our Ministry must still organize effectively to address issues in the agricultural sector. Effective interventions require coordination and targeted efforts,” he said.

In addition, the Hon. Minister said the aim of the SDP is to increase agricultural production in order to meet the demand of the people locally and internationally and also the demand from the tourism sector.

“We as a Ministry must operate efficiently and with management that is development focused and agile in responding to changing environments,” he said.

Hon. Rayalu said the timely and efficient implementation of proposed projects is crucial following the Ministry's budget increase for the 2023-2024 financial year.

In addition, the Hon. Minister stressed the importance of the Ministry working closely with the stakeholders, specifically the private sector, to enhance economic growth.

“We must provide relevant support to the private sector, especially our agro-processors because they will drive our ideas forward,” he said.

The Hon. Minister also mentioned his intentions of having a meeting with the agro-processors to discuss their plans and also on adding value to the seasonal crops like ginger, cassava and dalo for local and overseas markets.

He highlighted the need for a discussion on market gluts, especially to add value to commodities that are not sold as fresh produce.

“Our strategies and projects must address the actual needs of our stakeholders and farmers in the agricultural sectors, and we make sure no one is left behind,” said Hon. Rayalu.

The Hon. Minister reiterated the need for officers to be equipped with the basic knowledge of what the programmes and projects look like for the 2023-2024 financial year and to plan properly and start implementing.

Hon. Rayalu also acknowledged the support of the consultant from the European Union-funded Technical Assistance to the Sustainable Rural Livelihoods Programme (TA-SRL) for assisting in the two-day COP consultation.

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