About 46 dairy farmers supply 74 per cent of the total milk production of Fiji’s formal sector, says Fiji Cooperative Dairy Company Ltd (FCDCL) CEO Kushmendra Prasad.
He told this newspaper, that 161 farmers supplied 26 per cent.
And if Fiji is to boost milk production, Mr Prasad said the first step was to build up the livelihoods of those 161 farmers.
He said poverty alleviation and the empowerment of farmers were an important part of boosting production, something which was being taken very seriously by the Government through the provision of the $5.5 million allocation in the budget.
Mr Prasad said it was crucial to ensure those who entered the industry were committed to work fully as some farmers may be working as a ‘bypass’ venture, while others were serious.
“Some farmers may have lost faith to go in daily with the children educated, gone (overseas) and remittances coming in, so they’re doing it as a bypass business or as a time-pass business while others are very serious,” he said.
“So, we need to improve the livelihood of the people. I think no one thought about it but the Government is doing it.”
Mr Prasad said the much-needed increased budgetary allocation would be used for milk cartage costs, as well as more than $2m for the import of heifers: good breeds and high-yield animals.
“Animals that can have a potential to increase milk production for the dairy industry, then the balance of about $2.8m on infrastructure developments of road, water reticulation and feed, calf milk feeding and dairy advisory, husbandry practices, awareness, improving the livelihood of farmers etc.
“Then there is another, indeed, an intervention for the top-up milk price, 18 cents, for all dairy farmers in Fiji, those who are supplying formally to FCDCL.”
Mr Prasad said farmers were thankful to the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Finance as such assistance and subsidies would also help enhance production.
“They can increase the cow yield. They are happy that this is the first time ever that someone has thought of allocating a better and a bigger amount for the industry.”
