The Ministry of Agriculture and Waterways signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) for the deployment of the World Friends Korea (WFK) volunteers in Fiji for capacity building.

The MOU was signed by the Permanent Secretary for Agriculture and Waterways, Dr Andrew Tukana and the KOICA Country Director, Mr Kapchae Ra at the Ministry’s headquarters in Raiwaqa yesterday.

According to Dr Tukana, the collaboration between the Ministry and KOICA boosts cooperation and knowledge sharing in the agricultural sector.

He said the objective of the MOU is to support the agriculture sector's capacity building, growth, and sustainability.

“As per the MOU, KOICA will send a team of committed and knowledgeable volunteers to assist the Ministry of Agriculture and Waterways in accomplishing its goals and objectives,” said Dr Tukana.

“These volunteers, equipped with diverse skills and expertise, will work alongside local stakeholders, farmers, and ministry staff to promote innovation, knowledge sharing, and best practices in various aspects of agriculture,” he added.

He said the MOU will provide a new bilateral collaboration as we work together to build a more resilient and thriving agriculture sector in Fiji.

Meanwhile, the KOICA Country Director, Mr Kapchae Ra, expressed his gratitude for the increased cooperation in the agricultural sector between KOICA and the Ministry.

He said that KOICA has given a grant of US$8m for an Agrophotovoltaic Project that is being implemented at Bureta on Ovalau Island.

KOICA’s grant contributed a sum of US$4 million to purchase the 5-megawatt hour Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) for the solar photovoltaic component of the project and the other US$4 million is provided as KOICA development assistance project for the Ministry.

Ra mentioned that capacity building for the agriculture sector, which is a part of the MOU, is also of interest to them, besides infrastructure projects.

“KOICA will send agricultural experts as volunteers to support the Ministry staff, farmers, and stakeholders' capacity building for a year, and then they can carry out small projects on their own,” said Ra.

He said currently, there are 13 volunteers working and as per the MOU, this year over 20 to 30 volunteers will arrive in Fiji. 

The Permanent Secretary commended KOICA's ongoing efforts in sending volunteers for fostering knowledge exchange, capacity building, and sustainable development in a variety of fields within the country.

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