Where to take our agriculture industry
There is no doubt that agriculture is our next big income earner, for the country and also for individuals.
Fiji is blessed with resources and with the right guidance, we can kill two birds with one stone-curb unemployment and earn foreign earnings through exporting our agricultural produce.
Like almost every country worldwide, Fiji has seen a big increase in unemployment. This is true for almost every nation from America to Singapore. But we have what a country like Singapore does not, abundant land which should be utilised for farming.
No doubt a number of people have found themselves unemployed or hours reduced for the first time in 15 years. We have enjoyed growth which led to people sitting on good salaries before coronavirus wreaked havoc.
We can either sit and lament this new normal or do something useful with extra time on our hands. We could, where possible, head back to our villages and put idle land to good use.
The demand for organic produce is still high. The demand for jackfruit, breadfruit, pawpaw, bananas – all which is found locally, is very high in our neighbouring countries because of the Fijian diaspora there.
The agriculture ministry has done a fantastic job in providing seedlings and plants to ensure food security but that is not enough. What is needed now is an input from the people to seriously take up commercial farming. Government already has a number of schemes and guaranteed loans through the Fiji Development Bank.
All we need now is for people to take advantage of this and help themselves and the country replace the earning lost through tourism.
This is not an easy task and will not happen overnight. But, we need to start somewhere.