THE Grow+ program has reached a historic milestone with the distribution of one million seedlings to Fijian farmers.
Speaking at the milestone event in Nadi this week, Minister for Finance, Commerce and Business Development Esrom Immanuel said the accomplishment was a testament to the dedication of farmers and the coordinated support between British American Tobacco (BAT) Fiji and the Ministry of Agriculture and Waterways.
“I’m pleased to note that approximately 30,000 lives have already been positively impacted by this initiative, and the ripple effect across all rural communities continue to grow,” he said.
Mr Immanuel said that since its launch in 2021, Grow+ has become one of Fiji’s largest seedling distribution initiatives, providing resilient varieties of eggplant, chillies and tomato to the farming community.
He said while tourism was often viewed as Fiji’s economic giant, agriculture has proven to be the nation’s most resilient sector during times of crisis particularly the pandemic.
“It demonstrated its resilience through the pandemic when agriculture kept food on the tables and incomes flowing while tourism stood still. This shows a clear truth. Tourism drives growth in good times, but agriculture sustains us at all times.”
Meanwhile, BAT Fiji has implemented new environmental measures at its Leaf Division as part of its ongoing sustainability agenda.
General manager James Goldring said the company recently installed solar panels at its factory to reduce electricity reliance on the national grid.
The move follows a successful transition in 2023 where curing barns were converted from fossil fuel reliance to a process utilising wood waste.
“These are some of the environmental achievements as part of our commitment to BAT Fiji’s sustainability agenda,” Mr Goldring said.
Minister Immanuel lauded the private-public partnership (PPP) model between the Government and BAT Fiji.
“BAT Fiji continues to operate as a model agricultural business, showcasing the immense potential of our sector when innovation meets commitment,” he said.
“This is what project progress looks like. That is with government, industry, and our people working in partnership.”
