AGRICULTURE SECTOR READY FOR THE NEXT LEVEL: DASS
Outgoing Ministry of Agriculture Permanent Secretary, Mr Ritesh Dass left the Ministry officially yesterday (1.10.21) confident the sector was ready to move to the next level, despite the single biggest challenge brought on by COVID-19.
Just before his departure from the Ministry, Mr Dass who has taken up his new job as the CEO of Basic Industries Limited, a subsidiary of Fijian Holdings Limited, termed his two years in the public sector as ‘unmatched’ with his 20 plus years in the private sector.
“I can certainly say that these two years will remain unmatched against time I spent anywhere else, by the entire working career that I have had and possibly that I will have going forward. Whilst I am excited by the new challenge that I am moving to, I am sad that I will be leaving team Agriculture. I will be cheering them from the sidelines and providing necessary support as much as I can, as we are now one family; I’ve learnt so much and have made many friends along the way and it’s difficult to say goodbye and just move on,” he said.
Mr. Dass said the agriculture sector had progressed significantly, despite the challenges with consistent growth recorded in terms of production and export revenues earned with the trend expected to continue this year.
However, he added, there was a lot of focus on building the fundamentals and getting the basics right including unlocking the potential of the Ministry’s human resources.
“I believe we are at a juncture where we can accelerate our journey of growth and take it to the next level. We have this mantra of ‘Grow Beyond’ and I have seen that happening not only in terms of our KPI’s and deliverables, but also what I consider the most important element – the growth in our people, the growth in their capability,” he said.
It’s an energised culture, it’s an energised environment and for me that is the most refreshing thing when you see driven, passionate and happy people going that extra mile each day, striving to do what they are supposed to do.”
He said whilst COVID resulted in the delay of implementing capital programs, the silver lining was that everyone realized the importance of agriculture from the elevated level of interest by local Fijians to even offshore investors interested in investing in the sector.
“It’s about us unlocking our full potential, releasing under-utilized arable land for productive purposes, putting all the resources to upscale our activities and modernizing the way we do agriculture in Fiji.”
Mr. Dass continued to encourage
officers in the Ministry to give their best and challenged them to strive to leave behind a legacy that their children, grandchildren, and their families could be proud of.
“Any organization is as good as its
people, and I think we’ve got genuine people, a genuine team, really wanting to do their best. So, the message to the people, when you wake up in the morning think about what is it that you want to be known for – get to work, give
your 100 percent and create that moment that you can be proud of. If everybody comes with that mindset, we will be able to achieve magic.”