The Ministry of Agriculture and Waterways held a strategic pre-budget planning workshop to assess current utilisation, situation and map the needs to be prioritized in the next financial year.

The workshop, attended by the senior officials of each division of the ministry, focused on aligning resources with national priorities and optimizing expenditures for maximum efficiency.

While addressing the Ministry staff, the Permanent Secretary for Agriculture and Waterways, Dr Andrew Tukana, said the purpose of the workshop is to ensure that everyone has a mutual understanding of the direction set for the 2025-2026 financial year and alignment of all activities to the priority areas.

“This alignment is being guided by the National Development Plan, and the Strategic Development Plan for 2024-2028, and this is a living document and should guide us over the next 5 years,” said Dr Tukana.

He said the Ministry is committed to supporting agricultural development that will continue to accelerate the transition of smallholder farmers to commercial levels and strengthen the entire food value chain.

Dr Tukana highlighted that agriculture is still the backbone of our economy, so everyone in the Ministry has a role to play.

“All agriculture staff is obliged to help the country reduce the food import bill, and to do this, we need to assist the farmers to increase the volume of local production and exports through quality and consistency of the products.”

He also mentioned the Ministry’s Waterways Division’s role in mitigating Fiji’s climate change and extreme weather impacts, alongside food and nutrition security.

“Some of these interventions are through the Nature Based Solutions for seawalls, maintaining the drainage schemes, the reduction of saltwater intrusion through flood gates and the development of irrigation systems to assist with farming.”

He advised the staff to align the budgets and plans with the National Development Plan and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

“Our strategic Development Plan currently aligns with the National Development Plan and is also linked to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The SDP’s priorities are geared towards developing the agriculture sector and contributing to the overall development of the economy.”

He said there is a huge potential that exists within the agriculture sector to further develop the economy of Fiji and improve the lives of our people, however, there are also many challenges that exist, some within our control and some beyond, so we need to work as a team by consulting each other to work smarter and make appropriate decisions.

During the review, ministry staff analyzed past expenditures, identified key funding areas, and discussed financial strategies to ensure sustainable growth and service delivery.

-ENDS-

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