[Photo: FILE]

The government has not been able to confirm how many rural families have been lifted out of poverty since taking office.

Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka in his written response to Parliament stated that no updated national poverty figures are currently available to measure the impact.

Responding to Opposition MP Vijay Nath, Rabuka said any attempt to provide a precise number would be premature, as Fiji is still relying on the 2019–2020 Household Income and Expenditure Survey.

He told Parliament it would be methodologically unsound to quantify rural poverty reduction without verified data from the ongoing survey cycle.

Based on the last official figures, about 29.9 per cent of Fijians were living below the basic needs poverty line, with rural communities accounting for more than 60 per cent of those affected.

Rabuka said the absence of updated statistics makes it difficult to measure the real impact of recent Government programs on rural households.

He acknowledged that poverty in rural areas remains structural, with deep gaps in income, access to services and economic opportunity.

Despite the data gap, the Prime Minister outlined a range of interventions aimed at rural communities, including infrastructure upgrades, electrification projects and improved water and road access.

He also highlighted expanded support for agriculture, fisheries, social protection schemes, and youth training programmes intended to boost household incomes and resilience.

A key focus, he states, is the Development Grant program under the Office of the Prime Minister, which has funded 164 rural projects from 2023 to 2026, reaching more than 24,000 people.

These projects include fisheries cooperatives, rural crossings, and water supply systems for villages and schools, aimed at improving livelihoods and basic services at the community level.

Rabuka said partnerships with development agencies are also supporting rural enterprise development, access to finance, and skills training.

He added that the upcoming National Development Plan 2025–2029 places stronger emphasis on rural and outer island development, including agriculture modernisation and improved data systems to better track poverty.

The Prime Minister said updated survey results would be tabled in Parliament once completed, including verified poverty trends and household transitions above the poverty line.