Picture: The owner of Horeb farm Mr Samisoni Manewa explains about sheep farming to the farmers

The Horeb farm in Tavua, along with the Ministry of Agriculture and other stakeholders, held a farm day last week to show better husbandry practices and boost farm stock production for livestock farmers in Tavua.

The Senior Agriculture Officer (Ba), Solomoni Naisau said the Ministry will continue to provide support to farmers in raising and maintaining livestock farming.

“These livestock farmers have potential and their farming methods vary. Some are commercial, some are semi-commercial and others are subsistence farmers,” he said.

“Farmers receive guidance from the Ministry on the maintenance of their livestock farms.”

Mr. Naisau highlighted that both the Ministry and the farm day aim to encourage farmers to increase production, meet local demand, and decrease sheep meat importation. 

He said the Ministry plays an important role in assisting new and existing farmers in raising stock to meet the country’s sheep meat demand.

Last year, Fiji imported 5,450 tonnes of sheep meat valued at $62m from Australia and New Zealand.

“Farmers can improve their sheep farming production by implementing any knowledge gained from the farm day and seeking assistance from the ministry.”

Samisoni Manewa, the founder of Horeb farm, stated that they organized the farm day to showcase and teach livestock farmers about animal care, making silage blocks, proper nutrition, and drought-feeding techniques.

Samisoni is a renowned sheep breeder in Fiji and was part of the team that set up a sheep breeding farm in Makogai. Horeb farm is one of the model farms in Fiji with 159 sheep and 39 cattle.

He believes that sharing knowledge and experiences with other farmers in husbandry practice is critical.

“This will motivate sheep farmers to achieve significant results for themselves, the livestock sector, and the country by following the best practices for good stock results.”

“The intention was to motivate farmers and at the same time encourage students and the public to take up sheep farming or agriculture as a way of earning a living,” said Samisoni.

During the last financial year (2022-2023), the Ministry of Agriculture provided $717,000 in assistance to livestock farmers, $170,000 of which was allocated to sheep farming.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Waterways has been allocated a budget of $95.2 million for this financial year (2023-2024), representing a $31 million increase from the previous year.

Mr. Nasau said the increase in the budget will create more opportunities for assistance to be offered to farmers in the agriculture sector.

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