Riya Mala 
The crop and livestock farmers are urging relevant authorities to grant them fair opportunities to travel overseas and meet with potential buyers, rather than restricting these crucial trips to government officials.
Farmers say this long-standing issue is seriously affecting their livelihoods, citing frequent breakdowns in communication between themselves and the buyers.
Around 200 farmers have gathered for the two-day Farmers Economic Summit, where they are directly voicing their concerns to authorities and seeking practical solutions.
Savusavu farmer, Viliame Lomaloma, believes they should be given the opportunity to receive overseas training on market demands, as this knowledge will help them improve production.
“Because every time we’ve seen the newspaper, we saw people from this ministry, this ministry, they all go, but what about the farmers. They don’t go anywhere, so now I’m just asking you guys, consider us the farmers, to vote.”
In response, Investment Fiji’s Head of Regional and Trade Development, Lisala Dyer, says they are actively working on solutions to these issues.
“We normally put out notices in the newspapers and on social media, through the Investment Fiji page. There’s a time frame for submitting your UOI if you wish to be part of the mission. We’ll take that feedback on board and coordinate it better with due respect since this is FCLC’s event.”
Dyer further adds that, in addition to sending farmers overseas, they are also working to bring international buyers into the country, so farmers can engage with them directly.
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