The Agriculture Ministry is assisting Koro farmers with $40,000 worth of agro inputs under the Rural and Outer Island Programme.
The assistance was in terms of farming implements including forks, spade and knapsack sprayers, materials for farmhouse and copra driers, agro chemicals and fertilizers.
Agriculture Assistant, Etuate Sauvakatoga said that this assistance will benefit nine farming groups on the island of Koro.
“ This assistance came after the project papers were written in 2009 on behalf of the farming groups to the Agriculture Department for the assistance under ROI.
“Last year 16 farming groups were registered and under the farming assistance programme all groups were given monthly planting and production targets which was monitored by the Agriculture Officers,” he said.
“We have noticed the tremendous progress made by the nine groups, so we submitted their application for assistance” Sauvakatoga said.
He said that with this timely assistance will be able to improve farmers on their farming output and will grow quality crops for export market.
“Dalo and yaqona are the major sources of income for Koro Islanders but they also grow yam, cassava, assorted vegetables and coconuts.
“Farmers plant the Tausala ni Samoa variety of dalo for the export market while the other varieties are grown to provide food security for the families.
“In the first quarter of this year, farmers of Koro Island produced 130 tonnes of dalo which was an increase of 65 percent from 45 tonnes produced in the same period last year.
“The increase in dalo production was due to the assistance provided to farmers on the island last year in terms of farming implements, chemicals and fertilizer together with proper technical advice by the Extension Officers.
“Farmers get weekly income from dalo as the exporters such Ben’s Trading and Agro Marketing Authority buy dalo from them on weekly basis.
“While yaqona is bought by the middleman on the island some farmers prefer to sell their yaqona at the Suva market.
“ We are urging farmers on the island to work as a team to move forward with farming as it is a good source of income as well as providing fresh and healthy foods for their families,” he said.