Parliament

MPs disagree on poverty reduction approach

February 11, 2022 12:30 pm

National Federation Party Leader Professor Biman Prasad believes rural poverty reduction is possible if more resources are injected into the agriculture sector.

The National Federation Party Leader believes rural poverty reduction is possible if more resources are injected into the agriculture sector.

Professor Biman Prasad says the immediate priority for parliament should be to rejuvenate agriculture by introducing more government initiatives.

“Because the other fact that is very important is that about 62% of those living in poverty actually live in rural areas, so the best way to focus on poverty reduction in the rural areas would be to enhance agriculture.”

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Minister for Agriculture Doctor Mahendra Reddy disagrees, however, saying the only way to address the issue is for everyone in the sector to play their part.

“If the labourers participate – higher wage-rate, the farmer participates – higher profit, the landowner participates – rent for the unutilized land, financial sector participates, they’ll get interest rates. So we want to ensure that we have an agriculture sector that grows together with everyone. That is the way to address poverty. “

According to the Asian Development Bank, Fiji’s poverty rate is expected to increase further due to the devastating impact of COVID-19.