It was a joyous occasion for the Vaturogo Cooperative in Nawaka, Nadi after they received a brand new Solis Tractor today.

During the handing over this morning, Minister for Agriculture and Waterways, Honourable Vatimi Rayalu commended the members for their dedication and commitment.

“Farm mechanisation is the future now for agriculture, as it means large scale and increased production.

The fact that you applied for the assistance under the ministry’s Farm Mechanisation Program is testament to your perseverance in achieving your long term goals,” said Hon. Rayalu.

“Forming a cooperative means you are moving into the business space and you hope to achieve more through agriculture. I must commend you for your vision as agriculture has truly evolved,” he added.

“With the assistance, I hope you will continue to remain united as a cooperative and strive towards sustainable agriculture. Please utilise the tractor well and I am sure that you already have a program in place with regards to its operations.”

Village headmen, Mosese Ronakuri thanked Hon. Rayalu for the timely assistance and him that they will continue to strive towards their goal of increasing their agricultural production.

“The members of the Vaturogo Cooperative are thankful for the timely assistance as we are now gearing up for the planting season.”

“Our cooperative was established in 2020 and consists of 68 farmers from the Yavusa Nawaka. Over the years, members have been involved in the cultivation of root crops and assorted vegetables at Lavusa, Nadi,” explained Mr. Ronakuri.

“The cluster mainly utilizes the Mataqali owned land for any agricultural development in the area. Recently, the cooperative has applied for an agricultural lease at Lavusa which is approximately 15 acres. Given the approval to lease from the ITLTB, the cooperative has a future plan to increase the number of cassava, kumala and assorted vegetables on the ground.”

“There are 14 youths, 29 men and 25 women in the cluster and we have only been carrying out subsistence farming. Now we are ready to elevate to the next level and soon move to commercial farming. There are readily available markets in the Nadi area especially in the hotels and resorts. The onus is on us to play our part and grow our farming production,” added Mr. Ronakuri.

“In 2023, the Mataqali Batinareba started having discussions to formalize the cooperative and in February this year, we held our first awareness meeting with the Ministry of Trade, Cooperatives, Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises and Communications. We selected a committee and registered our cooperative as Vaturogo Cooperative.”

Mr. Ronakuri said that in April, 2023, they received their registration certificate and also held their first Annual General Meeting.

He added that they also benefitted from other assistance from the ministry like their Outsource Program where they paid half of the costs of land preparation works.

They were also supplied with Hawaiian Papaya seedlings, Chinese cabbage, sweet corn, long bean and watermelon that is already on the ground.

“We have also planted cassava and duruka and currently have over three acres of land planted with the various produce. Another 15 acres of land has been allocated towards the cooperative farm.”

“We have been operating using the ‘solesolevaki’ method and we meet every Tuesdays and spend hours on the farm. This will enable us to grow our status on food and income security as well as transition to semi-commercial and eventually commercial status,” he added.

By focusing on these areas, the cooperative can enhance their production capabilities, better meet market demands, and ultimately improve their standard of living.

ENDS

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