Rice farmers whose crops and farms were destroyed during Severe Tropical Cyclone Yasa will have access to $150,000 worth of assistance from Fiji Rice Ltd.
Fiji Rice Ltd chairman Raj Sharma said farmers would only need to pay $15 per hour for use of a tractor to prepare their land for planting.
“The normal hourly rate levied by Fiji Rice is around $50 per hour, private contractors charge $70 and the growers were paying $28 with the rest being subsidised by Government,” he said.
“Under this new assistance, growers who were affected will just have to pay $15 per hour and the balance comes from the subsidy.”
Mr Sharma said rice farmers could also access additional finance from HFC Bank through a memorandum of understanding between Fiji Rice and the bank.
“This initiative has been taken by Fiji Rice Ltd after consultation with the Minister for Economy and the Minister for Agriculture.
“Rice is a quick crop and can get harvested in 90 to 120 days.”
The company also provided immediate relief of grocery packs to 100 farmers in Dreketi.
