Photo: Permanent Secretary Agriculture Mr. Ritesh Dass and Permanent Secretary Pene Baleinabuli with the 2020-2021 Costed Operational Plan of the Ministry of Agriculture.

‘Let’s double our effort and be smart about how we can realize our aspirations’, urged Ministry of Agriculture’s Permanent Secretary, Mr Ritesh Dass to his senior management on Thursday (13.8.20) while launching the Ministry’s 2020 – 2021 Costed Operational Plan (COP).

Mr Dass said the COP was the Ministry’s working document that specified measurable targets, time-bound against quantity and quality of activities that would enable the successful achievement of the five Strategic Priority targets.

“We will have to work doubly hard, doubly smart, in order to realize our aspiration. We have stretch targets, we have stretch goals, but we are confident we will achieve it.”

“Through this COP the Ministry captures effective and efficient use of resources to ensure sound management of Government assets,” he said.

The Permanent Secretary said using the National Development Plan as the Ministry’s compass, COP further incorporated the greater vision of the Hon. Minister for Agriculture, Dr Mahendra Reddy on ‘Food Security, Agriculture Growth and Expansion Strategy.’

Mr Dass said with Commercial Agriculture as one of the strategic priorities, broad partnerships with organisations was critical in building resilient and social protection systems that could weather shocks, create economic opportunities for farmers and groups, promote equality and design a new generation of resilient green jobs that supported youth-led entrepreneurship.

“The Ministry will ensure a systematic monitoring of the COP document that will identify the sustainability of any project, time constraints and associated risks.

“This will mean that the Ministry will continuously improve its targets which will subsequently ensure access to quality food and enhance economic opportunities,” he said.

The Permanent Secretary said achieving these outcomes, allowed Fijian households to put nutritious quality food on the table, and at the same time contribute to the vision of ‘Transforming Fiji’.

He said the successful delivery of this COP was critical to achieving the Government’s vision for the agriculture sector and the livelihoods of its people.

“The Ministry through the COP documents is gearing up its efforts to operationalize its aspirations of ‘Grow Beyond’. The new ideology now on modernizing agriculture, offers both an exciting opportunity that will set a plethora of positive possibilities.”

-ENDS-

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