News

Farmers will be linked up to specific markets soon

March 25, 2019 12:47 pm

Agriculture Minister Dr Mahendra Reddy

The government will soon link farmers directly to specific markets, provided farmers specialize in the production of the commodity in demand.

Agriculture Minister Dr Mahendra Reddy says the ministry will identify and advise farmers on what particular crop they should produce.

The Minister says the recommended crop will be planted all year, whereby farmers will not have to worry about their market as the ministry will link them directly to the market.

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Dr. Reddy says they will be recommending exportable crops which could be stored for extended periods of time while still maintaining its quality.

He says this new initiative will guide the growth of the agriculture sector as it’s anticipated that through this, exports will increase thus contributing to Fiji’s economy and GDP.

Dr. Reddy adds they will soon send a commodity officer to the Northern division to conduct the survey, identify farmers, as well as give advice on the best crop.

He adds, as part of the initiative, farmers will sign contract agreements with exporters to ensure a continuous supply of recommended produce along with the agreed pricing of respective commodities.

The Minister says this will be revised annually.

In addition, the Agriculture Ministry would provide basic land preparation for the startup on the one-third and two-thirds basis, with farmers expected to produce their own seeds after the initial set-up and assistance were provided by the Ministry on their respective farms.