Farmers living in Bainisoqosoqo Settlement, Rakiraki met with the Minister for Agriculture Dr Mahendra Reddy yesterday where they discussed urgent issues affecting their farms.
Speaking during a talanoa session, Minister Reddy announced a secure market for farmers whereby the ministry will buy the crops directly from the farmers at a guaranteed price and supply it to various buyers in the country.
"We are working very closely with exporters to grow our export market but at the same time we must boost production, and in order to do this we need to provide market to farmers," he said.
"The Agricultural Market Authority (AMA) will reach out to farmers and facilitate the purchase, sale and exportation of agro and aqua produce."
Senior officials from the AMA, Ministry of Agriculture and Food Processors Ltd were also part of the talanoa session and spoke to farmers on various viable market initiatives.
The farmers taking advantage of this opportunity raised matters which have adverse effects on their farms such as the need for proper drainage, access to farm roads, flooding in farms and provision of fertilizers and medication to farmers.
“We want to assure farmers that AMA will offer new opportunities for the direct marketing of crops, which for many farmers is the critical edge that sustains an agricultural enterprise,” Minister Reddy said.
“We have a list of produce that we will have for a start for each division and will slowly expand overtime,” he added.
He also urged the farmers to form a cooperative so that the ministry can provide them with a tractor that the members can share in order to make farming easier for them.
Following the meeting with the farmers, Dr Reddy paid his first visit to Yaqara Beef Station where he was taken through the process of castration on cattle and testing them for Tuberculosis.
Minister Reddy is currently on a tour of agricultural projects in the Western Division as well as holding talanoa sessions with farmers.