Agriculture officers [Source: Ministry of Agriculture and Waterways Fiji/ Facebook]

The Ministry of Agriculture is urging its officers to break free from routine practices and embrace innovative planning strategies as they prepare for the new financial year.

This call to action was highlighted by Director for Land Use Planning Amena Banuve during a training session yesterday who emphasized the need for better planning and utilization of resources.

He says the underutilization of funds was seen as an issue this financial year.

Director for Land Use Planning Amena Banuve [Source: Ministry of Agriculture and Waterways Fiji/ Facebook]

Banuve says agriculture officers have been confined to their Divisions for too long and the attitude of business as usual is something they need to change.

“If you look back at this financial year, when the accounts closed last week, there were loads of funds still available. I am not so sure what the actual utilization at the moment is. We might be saying that those are savings. But actually, those are opportunities that are lost because we did not plan well on how we are going to utilize the resources that have been provided to us. Those are opportunities that were lost.”

Banuve says with a focus on strategic planning and innovative approaches, the Ministry hopes to enhance the productivity and sustainability of Fiji’s agricultural sector.

The training session, which spans two weeks, aims to equip young officers with the necessary knowledge and skills for effective project planning.