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By: Anshoo Mala Chandra
Department of Information
DINFO: What are some of the new marketing plans and strategies formulated for the development of the Agricultural Marketing Authority (AMA)?
BROWN: Well the new plans and strategies for the Agricultural Marketing Authority (AMA) is to first of all conduct a very thorough research on marketing. Once the marketing research has been done on what really are the commodities driving the market and once we have conducted a marketing research to ascertain the quantity and the quality and the demand for each commodity that the stakeholders want, those are the commodities that should be taken on board and farmers should be planting. You can only ascertain that through a well done market research. Without a proper marketing research program in place you cannot find the answer to that. If people plant in a improper manner, unstructured and unplanned way the outcome would be where would they market their produce if its not wanted by the stakeholders, the people who really wanted to buy, the consumers, the exporters and the processors. Unless there is a very extensive research done by AMA or Government or whoever the controlling authority for marketing is, AMA does not have a real base to work on. If a thorough and detailed marketing research is conducted to find out and ascertain what commodities is really market driving and the quality, quantity that is needed for both local and overseas demand than we have a base to work in. Than AMA and all the other stakeholders like the Ministry of Agriculture’s Extension Divisions, the exporters and farmers will need to work together and coordinate. They will need to create a network to work together to plant only commodities, which are, market driving. So once that is in place there will be a structured market system in place than the farmers will have no more problems when it comes to AMA. Right now farmer’s plant things and they bring to sell and once they are unable to sell it gets bad so these farmers cry that AMA is not fulfilling its obligations. Farmers are finding it difficult to market for their produce. Why? This is because everybody is walking in their own directions without any proper coordination. All the stakeholders involved need to work together towards one goal which will eventually also result in the overall improvement in the quality, quantity and the demands required to fulfil the exports.
The other issue that needs attention is the rural and outer island communities that is where the economic activity is sort of void, not much activity is going on there. The question is what can AMA do help to generate interest and create economic activity that is needed in the rural and outer islands. This is where the emphasis should come in, this where the Government and the Extension Divisions as well the Ministry of Agriculture and other stakeholders need to get together and work towards building up that rural economy; improve the lives of people living out there in the outer and remote area as they are being neglected. And the reason they are being neglected is because they live far away for the exporters to go down and bring their products that is not a viable business tactic. This is one cause of the urban migration as young people who do not have enough economic activity going out there they sort of flop around the main centres. But if we are able to create that economic activity in the rural areas and outer islands whereby these young people are held back and rejuvenate by getting into rural farming in these particular areas, the Government and AMA can come in and bring their products over to the exporters in Suva. Shipping and lack of transportation is in fact one of the biggest problem in the group of outer islands. Even if they are able to produce the items the market is not there and this where the AMA can go in and help because Government gives grant to AMA through the Budget. Perhaps that is one place where AMA can use the grant to facilitate the markets. We need to create an enabling environment where people can work together. We also need to have the manpower to go visit and advise the farmers together with the Extension Divisions to make the quality plantations.
DINFO: What are some of the agricultural products from Fiji that are highly marketable in the overseas countries?
BROWN: In here we also need to consider the research, if your target market population is Pacific Islanders than we say taro and we further sub-divide that into different segments of market. At the moment Dalo is the top seller. Cassava is coming in but for other industry for example chips and so. Australia is buying lot of Pawpaws, seaweeds and fish are high in demand but the problem is we cannot fulfil the increasing demand. So these are main commodities.
DINFO: How effective is AMA when addressing some of the major problems faced by the farmers for example the shortage of seedlings and the increasing costs of fertilizers?
BROWN: If you look at the AMA Act it says you can import agro-inputs like fertilizers and chemicals. We can do that and now once if AMA brings in fertilizers at a cheaper price perhaps the farmers can buy it on a credit basis but we need to have a contact with AMA to supply it. In that way it would be very effective in supplying agro-inputs. And as far as seedlings are concerned we can provide it to the farmers but we don’t want to duplicate the roles like if the Extension Divisions supplies a lot of seeds. The Ministry of Agriculture and Primary Industries provide these planting materials, now here we don’t want to duplicate the roles and assume their roles. But for the agro-inputs it’s in the Act and we can get agro-inputs and help the farmers. Like I said there are other private sector organizations who are buying fertilizers but at a very high costs. A bag of fertilizers is about $45 urea. If AMA can bring agro-inputs for farmers and sell it for $25 than it will be a lot help for the farmers.
DINFO: As we know Fiji has currently been passing thorough cyclones and a number of flood cases have occurred in most parts of the Western Division, in this case what is your advise to the farmers out there?
BROWN: Well as we know that cyclones are beyond our control, the best we can tell them is to hope that the effects of those are not that devastating. But if it does comes than the farmers need to have in place planting materials, seeds and stocks. So farmers need to be prepared with their planting materials because if there is strong winds that devastates the whole of your crop than you can quickly rejuvenate by getting those planting material and putting them back in the grounds. So very quickly the short-term cash crops can be recovered. My advice is that take heed of the cyclone warnings very seriously and even if the cyclone has not come if there is lot so seeds available than store those or else buy it and than store it.
DINFO: As we have recently seen that Fiji is exporting sugar from other countries and our sugar industry is in a vulnerable state. Where do you think the problem lies?
BROWN: Well there are a multiple answers as to why our sugar industry is collapsing. But I think the foremost problem lies with the expiry of the land leases. Land Tenure is one of the biggest problems. For a moment forget about the sugar industry and lets take a look at the other agricultural sectors that can bring in a lot of revenue. Now we talk about enhancing exports in Fiji, the only way to increase our Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is to enhance the exports, as Fiji is an agricultural based country. If we are able to enhance the exports obviously it will increase the GDP and stabilizing the economy of the country. The biggest question in all our minds is why is that people are not taking agriculture seriously. People are not taking agriculture seriously, I agree. Now who has to take agriculture seriously? Is it the farmers, the Government or is it the Ministers? My answer is that everybody has to take this seriously.
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