[Source: Fiji Government/ Facebook]

The Minister for Trade, Cooperatives, and SMEs Manoa Kamikamica has reaffirmed the government’s commitment to empowering rural communities.

During a visit to Niudua Village in Kadavu, he emphasized the need to unlock economic potential and tackle challenges like rural-urban migration.

Kamikamica acknowledged the strain of migration on Suva and highlighted efforts to create village-level economic opportunities.

He is encouraging the villagers to take a risk and start thinking about starting a business.

[Source: Fiji Government/ Facebook]

“Right now, half of Fiji’s population resides in Suva, basically. And that is a challenge for any government. And so it is a big responsibility of this new government to find ways to generate economy or economic activity at the village level and then create markets so that we can start moving our product to the urban areas and also overseas.”

Kamikamica emphasized the potential of Kava as a billion-dollar industry, promising government support for accessing lucrative markets like the European Union, the UK, and China.

[Source: Fiji Government/ Facebook]

“There are markets that are currently banned in Fiji. And I talk about the European Union, the United Kingdom, and China, which are now starting to look at carbon security. And if those markets open, and we are working hard to open those markets, there will be a significant opportunity to export into those markets.”

Kamikamica says they are trying to broaden the economy, and he believes Kadavu can play a significant part in this.

He adds that they want the villagers not only to be self-reliant but to start creating economic opportunity.