Minister for Agriculture Tomasi Tunabuna. [Photo: FILE]

The Ministry of Agriculture is moving to reduce reliance on foreign workers by prioritising the training and mobilisation of local labour to fill critical gaps in the agriculture sector.

Minister for Agriculture Tomasi Tunabuna says that while workers from countries like Bangladesh have helped address immediate shortages, the long-term solution lies in building a strong local workforce.

He says the current use of overseas labour is only a temporary measure, stressing the need to make the sector more sustainable by equipping Fijians with the skills to take up these roles.

The Minister highlights ongoing efforts through training institutions to prepare locals to meet labour demands, mainly in the sugarcane industry, where shortages have impacted productivity.

“The mobility is normally very temporary in the United States. It’s normally done to address shortages. That’s what we are currently doing—getting people to address the shortages that we have. Now we really want this to be permanent, meaning that we want to train our people to fill these vacancies.”

Tunabuna also points to a growing concern that reliance on foreign workers could discourage local participation, while some communities are not fully utilising their own labour potential.

Tunabuna is now urging farming communities to organise themselves and take greater responsibility in meeting labour needs, not only in sugarcane harvesting but also in other sectors such as kava farming.

He warns that continued dependence on external labour could weaken local productivity, especially as some farmland remains underutilised.

The Ministry maintains that strengthening local capacity is key to ensuring long-term food security and sustainability, as the country works to reduce its reliance on imported labour and rebuild its agricultural workforce from within.

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