A new partnership was forged yesterday, through which New Caledonia will assist our Agriculture Ministry to increase livestock production.

The Ministry’s breeding program is one of the key area’s they’re looking at under the cooperation.
Minister for Agriculture Dr. Mahendra Reddy says under the partnership New Caledonia will help Fiji develop specific programs for livestock farming.

“We are looking at partnering with New Caledonia in terms of assisting us in embryo transfer program and multiplication of that here. There are other areas within the agriculture sector for example sharing genetic resources.”

Dr. Reddy says this agreement will also help Fijians indulge in commercial farming.

“We are going big time in terms of incentivizing farmers to get into commercial agriculture by getting them market signals. We also need to ensure that for them to push the frontier we need to develop the base infrastructure.”

This is the first step of a cooperation between two Pacific neighbors which is aimed at reducing import, ensuring Food Security and improving the livelihood of people in the rural areas.