Mr. Speaker Sir,
I rise to thank His Excellency, the President of Fiji for his most gracious speech during the opening of this new session of Parliament on Monday the 4th of March 2024.
Before I embark on delivering my response today, I would like to extend my gratitude and acknowledge the hard work and dedication of the 98,220 farmers (men, women, young and old, and those with special needs) in Fiji. They have made great sacrifices to ensure that there is sufficient and nutritious food available for all Fijians.
Mr. Speaker Sir,
The Ministry of Agriculture has recently organized several agricultural events and initiatives to promote traditional farming methods and support local farmers. These include a field demonstration in Mulomulo, Nadi, that showcases yam planting techniques, the National Ginger Summit, training for kava farmers in Bukuya Village, Ba, the National Turmeric Taskforce meeting, distribution of cassava flour machines to women clusters in Ba, and the construction of new farm access roads in Cicia and upgrade of the existing farm access roads in Ovalau.
Last week ended on a high note as we celebrated International Women’s Day by hosting an inaugural Women in Agriculture Awards Night in recognition of the contributions of women in the agriculture sector.
Mr. Speaker Sir,
First and Foremost, I fully agree that Agriculture will continue to be the backbone of our economy for food and nutrition security and exports. To achieve this, the Ministry is mandated that all Fijians are food and nutrition secure, despite the challenges posed by climate change, pandemics, and conflicts that disrupt the food supply.
Mr. Speaker Sir,
The Ministry has launched its five (5) year Strategic Development Plan for 2024 to 2028, with a vision of a resilient, inclusive, competitive, innovative, and food secure Agriculture and Waterways sector. This strategic plan focuses on innovation, collaboration, and strategic investments that link with the National Development Plan and are also aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
This Strategic Plan comprises five (5) strategic priorities and these are:
improving food and nutrition security;
improving livelihoods for farming households;
increasing adoption of sustainable resource management and climate-smart agriculture;
increasing commercial agriculture; and
improving the quality of public sector performance and service delivery.
I am pleased that the Ministry, in close collaboration with other relevant stakeholders, now has a strategic direction to uplift our agricultural sector.
Mr. Speaker Sir,
As the Minister for Agriculture and Waterways, I would like to outline the Ministry’s priorities for the year 2024 and beyond, supporting the strategic direction focusing on benefiting our farming and vulnerable communities.
I have emphasised the significance of utilizing modern and large-scale technologies to enhance agricultural productivity in the crop and livestock sectors since I took office. By improving mechanization, we can address the problem of aging farmers, make better use of idle agricultural land, increase efficiency, tackle labor shortages, scale up our economic output, and equip our farmers with the necessary tools and knowledge.
Mr. Speaker Sir,
To develop financial literacy capacity, the Ministry will continue to capacitate farmers to promote farming as a business. In collaboration with other stakeholders, the Ministry conducts trainings and workshops tailored to farmers’ needs, covering topics such as budgeting, savings, borrowing, and investment, as well as specific agricultural finance concepts like crop budgeting and accessing agricultural loans.
In empowering our farmers with financial security and self-reliance, the Ministry is also exploring a farmer’s savings scheme model that will best suit categories of farmers to encourage a culture of financial responsibility that can have a positive impact on national prosperity and a secure future. In addition, the Ministry has also started developing a strategy to use farming as a tool to alleviate poverty by assisting families from marginalized groups and communities in Fiji.
Mr. Speaker Sir,
The Ministry is among other Government Ministries implementing the Gender Responsive Planning and Budgeting Tool under the lead role of the Ministry of Women, Children, and Social Protection supported by the Ministry of Finance, Strategic Planning, and Development and Statistics. A total of 5 capital programs are currently piloted by the Ministry under this initiative.
The Ministry has established a Gender Mainstreaming Action Group (GMAG) through the Gender Transformative Institutional Capacity Development (ICD) Initiative to ensure that all policies, programs, planning, projects, and budgeting in the Ministry are gender-responsive.
Mr. Speaker Sir,
As part of the new 5-year Strategic Development Plan, the Ministry’s Strategic Priority 2, aims to enhance the Agriculture Sector’s value-adding capabilities to increase profits and enable entry into new, profitable markets for our farmers.
This will expand production seasons, empower our women and youths economically, improve socio-economic livelihood, and address post-harvest losses in agriculture. To achieve this, the Ministry of Agriculture and Waterways will continue to provide agriculture value-adding machinery, including equipment and machines for processing cassava flour, Virgin Coconut Oil, and other agricultural products. The Ministry will continue capacity-building programs in value addition products for farmers and women’s groups in our rural and maritime communities.
By fostering partnerships with both the domestic and international markets, we will create a more robust framework for trade, with fair pricing mechanisms and support systems in place.
Mr. Speaker Sir,
As a vulnerable island nation, Fiji recognises the urgent need to address the impacts of climate change on the agriculture sector. The Ministry’s Strategic Priority 3 focuses on the adoption of Sustainable Resource Management and Climate Smart Agriculture. This includes the need to fortify our agricultural practices against the challenges posed by climate change through innovative approaches, in which we envision building resilience within our farming systems.
With the recent endorsement of the Drainage (Amendment) Act 2023 by this August House, the Government is undertaking a strategic initiative to re-establish the Drainage Board. This crucial entity will oversee the management of 103 Drainage Schemes spanning the Central, Western, and Northern Divisions. This endeavour is poised to enhance support for our invaluable sugarcane farmers and cash crop cultivators operating within these schemes, fostering growth and prosperity within our vital agricultural sector.
The upcoming development of a comprehensive National Waterways Management Program is a crucial initiative to address the challenges posed by climate change, the program focuses on maintaining and improving waterways infrastructure to protect critical assets from flood damage and implementing erosion control measures. Additionally, it promotes sustainable land use and development through zoning regulations, flood risk management, and restoration of natural water systems.
Mr. Speaker Sir,
The Ministry of Agriculture and Waterways is fully committed to fostering a resilient and inclusive agricultural sector that not only ensures food and nutrition security for all Fijians but also drives economic growth, and sustainable development, improves socio-economic livelihoods, and alleviates poverty. Through strategic investments, innovation, and collaboration, we will pave the way for a brighter and more prosperous future for all, including women and youth in Fiji’s agriculture sector.
Mr. Speaker Sir, thank you for providing me the opportunity to deliver this address.
Vinaka Vakalevu, Dhanyavaad and Thank You.