Women Score $20K Oyster Harvest
Women of Raviravi, Macuata, reaped the fruit of their hard work when they were handed a $20,415 cheque by Prime Minster Voreqe Bainimarama yesterday.
Members of the Navatudua Women’s Group were part of the Pearl Oyster Development Project. This project is an annual quarter million-dollar initiative by the Ministry of Fisheries.
The money is the women’s earnings from their oyster harvest that they turned into a business. The product of their harvest was bought by the Marama Self-Craft Centre in Ba.
“The Fijian-made products that you have helped design and promote through the Navatudua Women’s Club Community Spat Collection programme are spread far and wide throughout the world, as tourists have taken home little pieces of Fiji with them,” Mr Bainimarama said.
“You’ve been fellow climate champions along the way, doing so in a manner that is sustainable for not only the local economy, but for the health of our pristine oceans.
“The most beautiful part of the project is that it’s been spearheaded every step by the women, who took it into their own hands to improve their own lives, the lives of their families, and the economy of Fiji as a whole.
“To these businesswomen, and you can wear that title proudly, because you’ve earned it, you are part of the key drivers of this growing industry,” Mr Bainimarama said. He also acknowledged the Ministry of Fisheries and the Australian Centre for International Agricultural
Research for believing in the members of the Navatudua Women’s Group.