MY friends and I were having an around the table discussion (not so round table) on the prices of food crops in the market nowadays, particularly starting from when Severe Tropical Cyclone Winston struck.

It was noted back then that prices of fruits, vegetables and root crops, including yaqona, were exorbitantly high.

This raised the issue of regulating this sector of the market.

The frequent defence used for raising the prices is usually given as “the shortage of supply due to the damage done by the disaster”.

Then there is the other issue of the State having to go time and time again to survey the areas and seek to assist farmers who have been affected by such mishaps.

One solution that came to mind is introducing agricultural insurance in Fiji.

As a former member of the organisation that manages Fiji’s participation in the Asia Productivity Organisation, I was fortunate to be a part of the co-ordinating team for the workshop on Financial Risk Analysis and Risk Management in Agribusiness.

There were 24 participants in all at that forum — 18 from Asian countries and six from Fiji, together with three other observers from Fiji.

The Minister for Agriculture was invited to open the workshop, and I thought it would have been nicer to see him sit for a while and listen to the proceedings, or even have one of his senior officers’ participate.

The Fiji participants in that workshop did not have much to offer, but a lot more to gain in that forum.

As it is in Fiji, the State is often left to fend for the misfortunes of those who participate in this very important sector of our economy — agriculture.

The current market prices for agricultural produce is such that it can sustain itself in the case of any future disaster, only if it is managed well.

Farmers are earning well with the current prices, and I am suggesting maintaining it at that.

However, it must be justified by the fact that part of those incomes are channelled towards insuring their crops and livestock, so as to cushion the effects of a future disaster.

Economic growth is hindered by the diversion of the already scarce State resources towards maintaining the bad man-made, or natural disasters in this case.

Therefore, Government needs to look into ways (within) of having the critical sectors of the economy sustain themselves.

In this regard I suggest setting up agricultural insurance to be done with the collaboration of the public and private sectors.