Nothing will stop Fiji Rice Limited in investing in new mills if more farmers show interest in rice farming.

This was highlighted by the General Manager for the Fiji Rice Limited Ashrit Pratap who has admitted many farmers in Viti Levu would like to switch to rice farming.

With farmers being paid the world market price, Pratap believes this will entice more farmers to take up rice farming and achieve the target of reducing the imports and be self-sufficient.

“Our price per ton of paddy is around 800 dollars and comparing with overseas the one ton of paddy costs comes to around $500 so we are above the world market price –and this is done through government subsidy and farmers are getting good paid out of it and I believe there’s lots of potential in the rice industry.”

Meanwhile Fiji Rice Limited was allocated the sum of $800,000 for a paddy grant for farmers plus their own initiative for a farming project together with the Ministry of Agriculture.
Stab