The Fiji Meat Industry Board plans to improve operations, strengthen livestock supply and boost revenue over the next two years.

Appearing before the Standing Committee on Public Accounts, Chief Executive Apenisa Korodrau highlighted the organisation’s financial turnaround.

Fiji Meat recorded a loss of $115,746 in 2021 and $34,000 in 2024, before turning a profit of $47,821 in 2025 and nearly $292,000 in the first half of this year.

Korodrau says tighter spending controls have helped improve the organisation’s financial position.

However, the reported profit came under scrutiny from committee member Sachida Nand, who questioned whether government grants were included in the figures.

“Profit that was declared in 2022 and that is possibly being declared in 2026, does it include the government grant? Does the entire operation or inclusive of the grants that government has given, if that is so, then within your own means you are not operating and making a profit, you’re still making a loss if you take the government grant component out.”

Korodrau clarified that capital grants are not treated as part of the organisation’s operating strength.

He says the grants are fully used for their intended purposes and are accounted for separately.

“Those capital grants that flows into the business, we do not consider it in our financial because then we would not be able to measure our own strength at the end of the day. So, because ideally, when the capital grants are received, the full amount is expensed into the business. We cannot retain the amount because we have to provide back to government how that was utilized.”

Korodrau says the grants are fully utilised for their intended purpose, with Fiji Meat required to report to the Government on how the funds are spent.