Business

Bua rice farmers to benefit from new harvester

June 30, 2020 4:15 pm

Over 100 rice farmers in Bua are expected to benefit from a new $60,000 combined rice harvester handed over by the Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama today.

Over 100 rice farmers in Bua are expected to benefit from a new $60,000 combined rice harvester handed over by the Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama today.

The harvester was donated by the Chinese government and is expected to address issues faced by the rice farmers.

Speaking at the handing over this afternoon, Bainimarama says the harvester will address labour issues faced by the rice farmers and significantly cut down harvesting time.

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He says government will continue to assist rice farmers in every step of their farming from the provision of seeds, to planting, harvesting and milling.

The Prime Minister told the farmers, obtaining the rice harvester will make them a modern rice farming community.

Vanua Levu Rice Farmers Association Secretary Suresh Chand says after decades of manual rice harvesting, this is the first time that rice farmers in Bua will be using a machine to harvest their rice.

He says the rice harvester can harvest in two hours a field of rice that would normally take two weeks to harvest manually.