Commissioner Northern, Inia Seruiratu has assured the Ministry of Primary Industries that his office as well as other Government offices based in the North will give their full cooperation during the National Agriculture Census 2009 (NAC).
The Commissioner and his team consisting of District Officers, Provincial Administrators, Department of Women and Social Welfare officials, Royal Fiji Military Forces as well as the Fiji Police Force officers were present at a training that was held yesterday for enumerators for the NAC 2009.
In speaking to the supervisors and enumerators at the Friendly North Inn in Labasa, Mr Seruiratu said that he will be working closely with the officials that will be visiting farms all over the North to ensure that the exercise is carried out well.
“Government is interested in the outcome of this NAC and we will be working closely together in terms of sharing our resources and whatever you may need to carry out a successful exercise in the North,” said Mr Seruiratu.
“Agriculture is an important sector in our country because first and foremost it is a means of food security.”
“The present Government is trying its best to take the country forward and in order to do that, we need information on what is happening on the ground so as to plan more development projects to benefit the people,” added Mr Seruiratu.
“That is the reason this NAC Programme is very important for everyone involved and we are hoping that after the exercise is carried out, we will know where the Northern Division stands in terms of agricultural production and other areas which needs improvement,” he added.
Northern team Coordinator and Principal Agriculture Officer (Northern), Mr Ropate Ligairi said that there is a lot of work involved in carrying out the NAC and all support rendered will be appreciated by the NAC Staff.
“We are grateful for the moral support that has been given so far and we know that through the support of the Commissioner and fellow Government departments in the North, we will be able to carry out our tasks well,” said Mr Ligairi.
Information gathered will consist of geographical and hierarchical, demographic, farm characteristics, employment, land use and environmental variables of individual farmers that will be interviewed during the Census period.
“Farmers will have to provide enumerators with information regarding their crops and related farmer practices, livestock, machinery and equipment, buildings and other structures as well as forestry and fisheries,” explained Mr Ligairi.
Data collection from the field will take about two months and enumerators in the Northern Division will start their census exercise on the 5th of October beginning in the Macuata Province whereby they will work their way towards the Cakaudrove Province where they will complete the enumeration exercise.