Poor road access continues to affect daily operations.[PHOTO:PECELI NAVITICOKO]

Rural farmers across Vanua Levu continue to face delays in accessing upgraded farm roads despite an increase in government funding, with demand for road improvements still exceeding available resources.

The Government has doubled its rural roads allocation for the North from $2 million last financial year to $4 million this year. However, the funding must be shared across the three provinces of Vanua Levu, including Taveuni, limiting how many projects can be completed.

Agriculture Minister Tomasi Tunabuna says while the increase is welcome, communities need to understand that not every request for rural and farm roads can be met immediately.

“The funding is not always sufficient to meet all the rural and farm road needs here in the North. Last year, we received about two million dollars, and this financial year we have been allocated four million dollars, which needs to be shared across the three provinces, including Taveuni.”

Tunabuna says funding is only one part of the challenge, with a shortage of machinery and contractors in the North also slowing the delivery of rural road projects. He says the government has recently received additional machinery to help improve road construction capacity across Vanua Levu.

For farmers, however, poor road access continues to affect daily operations. Growers in Wailevu say they have repeatedly requested improvements to farm access roads, but little progress has been made. They say reliable roads are essential for transporting crops to markets, and delays are increasing the cost and difficulty of farming.

As demand for rural infrastructure continues to grow, farmers are hoping the increased funding, together with improved access to machinery and contractors, will accelerate long-awaited road upgrades and strengthen agricultural production across the North.