Fiji Rice Ltd made a profit of half a million dollars last year.

Chief Executive Ashrit Pratap says this was achieved despite not meeting the annual target of 5000 tonnes of production.

He says the highest target they have met is 2,000 tonnes last year, which is still less.

Fiji Rice Ltd  Chief Executive, Ashrit Pratap. 

Pratap says the shortage of labour remains a challenge in the rice industry.

“What has happened is that over the years, the production has gone down because farmers moved out of their farms and hardly any young farmers were associated with farming.” So if you go to Dreketi, it’s like mostly the older generation is there.”

[File Photo]

Fiji currently imports $39 million worth of rice from India, Thailand, and Vietnam annually.