Access of roads in rural and maritime areas needs to be rehabilitated. [File Photo]

The Ministry of Rural and Maritime Development collaborates with the Fiji Roads Authority to identify pine access roads in rural and maritime areas that need to be rehabilitated.

Minister for Rural and Maritime Development Inia Seruiratu says the ministry only accommodates requests from communities if Fiji Pine Limited is not able to accommodate the cost of building pine access roads.

He says this is where the ministry steps in to facilitate the request.

“Fiji Roads Authority has an allocation of about $50 million, particularly for rural areas but that has its priority that we agreed together with the four divisional commissioners through the ministry of rural development but sometimes we have to reprioritize based on the needs.”

Seruiratu says in the code of logging practice, while the licence is valid, it is the responsibility of the contractors to maintain the pine access roads.

He adds that the allocation for farm roads, particularly non-cane access roads, is given to the Agriculture Ministry, while cane access roads are given to the Ministry of Sugar and his ministry is allocated $2 million to fund rural roads and foot bridges.