Kelera Ditaiki 
[Photo: File]
Fiji is looking at ways to produce more food locally throughout the year and reduce the country’s reliance on imports.
The Ministry of Agriculture is promoting protected agriculture, hydroponics and food processing to address seasonal shortages and make better use of local produce.
Minister Tomasi Tunabuna says crops such as mangoes are often available for only one to two months each year, while limited processing facilities mean much of the produce cannot be used beyond the season.
The Ministry is promoting protected agriculture and hydroponics to help farmers continue producing vegetables outside the main growing season.
“As far as vegetables, we will be promoting a lot of protected agricultural systems, hydroponics that address the seasonality of vegetables in Zambia, because in Fiji we have a main season for vegetable production.”
Tunabuna says controlled growing environments could help reduce the need to import vegetables when local production falls.
The Ministry is also supporting communities with machinery and training to process seasonal crops into products that can be used throughout the year.
The Ministry says increasing local production and processing could help farmers make better use of seasonal crops while reducing Fiji’s food import bill.
