Update: 8:44PM VILLAGERS of Daku in Tailevu witnessed the opening of their new virgin coconut oil factory today.

Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama officiated at the event said the Government had made considerable progress in helping farmers, and acknowledged there were still work left to be done.

Mr Bainimarama acknowledged the absence of necessary scales of production for some farmers, he said projects such as this in Daku gave farmers the chance to increase their production.

For farmers in and around Daku Village, he said they now had the chance to move beyond simple copra production into the virgin coconut oil market.

“The nearly $50,000 investment made by my Government into this new factory is part of our vision to open up Fiji?s farming communities to bigger markets, and it is an investment we expect will reap tremendous returns down the track as your communities can now step up production and expand your farming operations,” Mr Baimarama said in his address.