$5m GDP impact
KADAVU farmers are contributing around $5million to Fiji’s annual gross domestic product (GDP).
This was the findings of a survey conducted by the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) on 1763 farmers in Kadavu.
Kadavu public administrator Joji Waqata told The Fiji Times the survey was conducted last year in February.
“About 1763 farmers were surveyed and what the Agriculture Ministry found was that farmers were contributing around $5m to the national GDP, annually,” Mr Waqata said.
“The survey was an initiative by the MOA, and it came to my office when I asked them to make a presentation to be presented to the Prime Minister. The data they gathered was on the contribution of agriculture in Kadavu.
“When they reflected on the bigger picture, towards the national GDP, that’s what they found out.”
Mr Waqata said the data signified the huge potentials in Kadavu, especially when comparing agriculture in Kadavu to agriculture in other provinces.
Deputy Prime Minister and Trade Minister Manoa Kamikamica, who participated in a threeday tour on the island, said this was a “fairly significant contribution”, especially with a population of about 12,000 people.
“That proves that there’s a lot of potential. There’s not even any large scale tourism here. So clearly, it’s an exciting opportunity for Fiji, and for Kadavu and what government needs to do is prioritise what we need to do first,” Mr Kamikamica said.
“Of course, there’s a lot of demand on what needs to be done but certainly, from my perspective, I have a clearer idea of what needs to be done for Kadavu to try and stimulate economic activity.”