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Fijian Minister for Agriculture and Waterways Vatimi Rayalu has pledged to revive the nation’s ailing coffee and cocoa industries to progress its economy and create jobs for its citizens.
The Fijian coffee industry is said to be gaining traction through a range of government initiatives and businesses such as Bula Coffee, founded by New Zealander Luke Fryett in 2011.
While different varieties of coffee plants are plentiful in the archipelago, with many growing wildly and untamed, Rayalu says the government is placing a stronger focus on bolstering Fiji’s entire coffee value chain.
“We are no longer just talking about farming, we’re focusing on the full value chain, from planting right up to processing,” Rayalu says.
“That is how we will grow our economy and create more jobs for Fijians. The vision is simple. Plant more, process more, export more. That’s how we turn into a powerhouse for rural development, job creation, and economic growth.”
Through its Ministry of Agriculture and Waterways, the Fijian Government is supporting agro processing to attract local and foreign investors to set up processing operations in the country.
Rayalu says key sites have already been identified for crop planting to progress the industries.
“What we have now is we have markets, but we don’t have any produce,” he says. “We have markets for cocoa, we have markets for coffee.”
“In the north we’re looking at places like Cakaudrove and Taveuni which are well-known for coffee. Bua, on the other hand, has strong potential for cocoa and tea production, areas we are actively exploring.
“We have started planting 300 acres of cocoa in Nasautoka, Wainibuka. This is just the beginning of what we see as a strong, sustainable cocoa industry.”
He adds the focus on the entire value chain will ensure the continued cycle of rising and falling agricultural industries in Fiji can be stopped.
“We cannot continue to depend on primary producers. We have to go all the way up to processing. Otherwise, we will end up with the same old story,” he says.
“This is the kind of transformation we are delivering through the Coalition Government, where agriculture is treated as a business and Fijian farmers are empowered to be a part of something bigger.”
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