VINAKA Farm, one of Fiji’s fastest growing agribusinesses, is transitioning from traditional open field farming to facility agriculture through the development of 11 acres of greenhouses.
The Navua-based farm, which initially began operation in 2020 with just 20 acres, now spans 150 acres and has become one of Fiji’s leading exporters of organic ginger to markets like Australia and New Zealand.
Speaking on behalf of Vinaka Farm, Xiaoli Liu told this newspaper they had to rethink the farm’s production model after unprecedented rainfall in March and April that affected most of their ginger crops last year.
“The heavy rains had a massive impact not just on us but on the ginger farmers across the country,” Ms Liu said.
“That’s when we decided to invest in greenhouses because it’s about protecting our crops and ensuring consistency in supply to our international buyers.”
The adoption of facility agriculture particularly through greenhouse cultivation allows farms to control environmental variables such as temperature, humidity and irrigation.
Ms Liu said they were already into the first phase of the transition which was experimenting on the varieties of produce they already have including green beans, cowpeas, eggplants, peppers, spinach, radishes and ginger.
She said the transition would also ensure a year-round production of ginger to meet international demands.
Investment Fiji recently visited the farm and reported on its progress.
“The farm is organic certified and leverages machinery for efficiency while still employing locals for planting and harvesting, creating rural employment opportunities,” Investment Fiji stated.
It revealed that the company planned to open a processing factory to increase agricultural exports from Fiji.
Ms Liu said Vinaka Farm was diversifying its product lines to include various other vegetables, spices like turmeric and root crops like taro.
The transition by Vinaka Farm plans to ensure climate smart practice implications that attracts high value exports in the country.
