PRIME MINISTER HON. VOREQE BAINIMARAMA'S SPEECH AT THE COMMISSIONING OF THE COMMUNAL RICE FARMING SCHEME

Valelevu i Nalolo Vua na Turaga na Tui Nalolo, Ratu Kini Vosailagi;
Hon Minister for Agriculture;
Assistant Minister for Agriculture;
Turaga ni Yavusa Lewei Vagadra;
Commissioner Western;
Senior Government Officials;
Ladies and Gentlemen.
 
Bula Vinaka and good afternoon.
 
It’s a pleasure to be here in beautiful Bavu Village as we enlist more hardworking farmers in Fiji’s Rice Industry – a sector that has come a long way, but still has great deal of room to grow.
 
Rice is a staple of Fijian diet. We eat it with fish and chicken curry. It can pair with a lovo, we use it for palau, chop suey, and rice pudding. Anywhere you go in Fiji, rice is eaten. Nowhere are we growing as much as we need – not even close.

On average, we import 40,000 tonnes of rice into Fiji every year. That’s about 40 Million Dollars worth of rice grown in places like South East Asia, that ends up on the dinner tables of Fijian families.
And our national appetite for rice is steadily increasing. It’s not hard to see why. Unlike other crops, rice can be stored easily and prepared quickly right out of the bag, into the pot, and onto the plate.
 
Last year, Fiji’s farms produced 5,748 tonnes of rice with nearly every grain going to satisfy demand in Fiji. Even so, domestic crops only supplied a mere 13 percent of rice sold in Fiji. That remaining 87 percent, my friends, represents opportunity. Due to the severe economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, we can’t let opportunities as obvious as rice growing go to waste.
 
Here in Bavu, so near to the beating heart of Fijian tourism in Nadi, I know the hardship of the past year has been personal for all of you. You all have friends and family members who work in tourism. Many of them may now rely on the Government's unemployment assistance. And as farmers, due to the loss of visitors and their demand for Fijian produce, you may not fetch the same prices at the market that you did one year ago.  
 
But no matter the difficulty we face, we can always look to our land to sustain us and to provide for us. As I’ve said before, regardless of the adversity we face as a nation, we will always need hard-working farmers to feed our people.

You represent an Industry that is a pillar for your community, for the economy and for your country, and which carries incredible potential. And your Government is here to help you realise it.
 
The Bavu Communal Rice Scheme is a first-of-its-kind initiative to help farmers cash-in on the growing demand for rice in Fiji. We directly supply seeds and assistance with land preparation. As well as a platform called “We Rice Up'' to help you gain the technical know-how and machinery you need to become rice farmers.
 
I know many of us are used to farming certain types of crops. Dalo, cassava, yaqona – Fijians are agro-experts at these dietary staples. But given the great demand we have for rice, it’s time we add it to that list of essential Fijian crops. Some of us have not grown rice before.  It may seem like daunting step, but “We Rice Up” is here to inform you and support you towards growing, cultivating, and profiting from this in-demand crop. I’m here with a team that can answer any questions you may have. We’re committed to making this communal planting initiative a success that we can replicate in other communities. There are 10,500 hectares in the surrounding area here in Bavu that we’d like to target through this initiative under the next two cropping seasons.

Over-time, we’ll be providing farmers with access to mechanized tools, as well as regular check-ups to ensure farms are progressing well.
 
Our first priority for this Industry is to meet the massive demand already here in Fiji. But that is not where our ambition ends. As we grow more rice, and establish the Fiji Rice brand, we’ll look to market Fijian-grown rice regionally and around the world.
 
Before we get to your questions, I want to speak on the ongoing support your Government is providing farmers in the wake of the severe weather we’ve seen this year.
 
The winds, rains, and floods brought by cyclones Yasa and Ana have devastated farmers. In response, the Ministry of Agriculture through our nation-wide Cash for Cultivation initiative will be boosting support for rice growing on Viti Levu.
 
If you cultivate at least one acre or more of rice, farmers will be granted 200 dollars. It’s that simple. You can visit the nearest Agriculture Office for more details.
 
Let that commitment set the standard for our support to you, to this Industry, and to the pivotal role agriculture plays in our economy. One acre at a time, we will find creative ways to grow our way to opportunity.
 
Your success strengthens your nation’s food security, and I trust it will inspire farmers across the country to seize new opportunities where they see them.
 
Good luck. Vinaka vakalevu. Thank you.
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