Govt pumps in $500K capital to help maritime islands process pine

The Government has provided capital funding of $500,000 annually since 2016 with a total of $3million to assist maritime Islands harvest and process their matured pine plantations.

This includes islands in the Lomaiviti Province.

This was revealed by Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama to members of the Lomaiviti Provincial Council during a talanoa session yesterday.

Mr Bainimarama said the Government had put more than words behind its commitment to this community resource.

“Since 2014, we’ve supported the Pine Schemes through a grant to Fiji Pine Trust for the extension of privately owned plantation and community forestry programmes,” he said.

“In addition, this has helped improve living standards and even lift Fijians out of poverty. And it has helped make communities more resilient.

“We’ve completed house framing for 55 houses in Moturiki, five houses in Bureta and 49 houses in Koro.

“Since 2017, my Government has assisted the Narocake Pine Scheme with harvesting a portion of their plantation to generate sawlogs, posts and poles valued at approximately

$100,000.

“In partnership with Fiji Pine Trust, we have also helped construct 46 houses with a total value of $152,915. In addition, we have connected the Narocake Pine Scheme to a market in Suva, to

which they are supplying timber as we speak.”

He added that from the financial year of August 2019 to July 2020, the Government purchased a seven-tonne truck, a post peeler, and a 4x4 vehicle for the Narocake Pine

Scheme at a total cost of $400,000.

He said the Government also constructed a timber treatment plant in Narocake with a total cost of $50,000.

Photo: Inoke Rabonu Lomaiviti Women’s representative to the Lomaiviti Provincial Council meeting Taina Ravutu closest to camera during the meeting in Nasova, Levuka on June 9, 2022.