Kreetika Kumar 
Dairy farmers will now receive a top-up of $0.18 per liter of milk under the farm gate subsidy.
Fiji Cooperative Dairy Company Limited Chief Executive, Kushmendra Prasad says currently the farmers are paid $1.02 per liter and receiving 18 cents will increase the final payment to $1.20.
Prasad says the top-up is specifically dedicated to assisting dairy farmers in not only sustaining their operational costs but also in generating a modest profit, enabling them to reinvest in their dairy farms.
He adds that the previous price, which was below the feasible cost of dairy production, necessitated this intervention.
“This is just to make them sustainable in the dairy business, as the price below was paid below the cost of feeding, and the price was not a reasonable amount to cover the cost of dairy. So the Minister has allocated this fund for the special project of $0.18 to all dairy farmers in Fiji so that they are able to sustain their operational costs and also make a little profit and invest in their dairy farms.”
Prasad says the total fund allocation for this price top-up is projected to be around $778,000.
He adds that this adjustment is anticipated to have a profound impact on dairy farmers, enabling them to maintain a sustainable level of income by encouraging increased milk production.
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