Jale Daucakacaka 
[File Photo]
Fiji can minimize the impact of a rice shortage if farmers plant more rice.
This is highlighted by Fiji Rice Limited Chief Executive Ashrit Pratap, who adds there is a current shortage of white rice in the country due to the fallout of India’s export ban on non-basmati rice, which has also led to price hikes.
“When India stopped exporting rice, their buyers, mostly the European countries and American market turned to our buyers from Vietnam and Thailand. Due to lucrative prices, all these suppliers turned to other buyers so our quota decreased so that is the reason we are facing a shortage of rice in Fiji.”
Pratap is calling on farmers to plant as much rice in the upcoming planting season, which begins in October.
He says the benefit of planting of rice is that there is a short turnaround from planting to harvesting, which can take around 120 days.
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