Fiji’s dairy industry once stood at the heart of the nation’s drive toward self-sufficiency.
One of its defining moments came with the official opening of the Rewa Co-operative Dairy Company’s Ultra Heat Treatment (UHT) milk processing and packaging plant, which marked a major step forward for local milk production.
According to a The Fiji Times article published on March 9, 1988, the inauguration was officiated by the then Minister for Primary Industries, Villame Gonelevu, who described the dairy industry as an essential pillar of Fiji’s economy and nutrition.
“The dairy industry is important to Fiji for its well-known product, milk, which is often called a complete food and consumed by all in one form or another,” Mr Gonelevu said.
At the time, Fiji was focused on reducing its dependence on imported dairy products while creating greater opportunities for local farmers.
The industry supplied milk and cream through about 200 registered dairy farms, with more than 75 per cent supplying Rewa Dairy.
The company collected almost 20,000 litres of milk and 10,000 kilograms of cream each day, producing a range of products including pasteurised milk, flavoured milk, butter, cheese, cultured dairy products and powdered milk.
The new Ultra Heat Treatment (UHT) plant enabled Rewa Dairy to package milk in long-life cartons that could be stored for up to six months without refrigeration before opening, making fresh-quality milk more accessible to rural communities and the outer islands.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Mr Gonelevu emphasised the industry’s key objectives, which included increasing local milk production to improve national self-sufficiency, strengthening rural incomes, creating employment on dairy farms and in processing facilities, and improving the nutritional wellbeing of Fiji’s population.
The minister also praised Rewa Dairy for exceeding its projected milk production target despite the severe drought, describing the achievement as evidence of the industry’s resilience and promising future.
The launch of the UHT facility also had an immediate social impact.
During the ceremony, the minister unveiled a 900-litre gift pack of Rewa Life milk, which was distributed to families in need, symbolising the company’s commitment to supporting local communities.
For a long time, Rewa Dairy remained one of Fiji’s best-known food manufacturers, and the opening of its UHT processing plant stood as one of the company’s most significant milestones in the development of Fiji’s dairy industry.
The investment demonstrated how innovation, government support and the commitment of local farmers could work together to strengthen food security and reduce Fiji’s reliance on imported dairy products.
More than the opening of a new processing facility, the inauguration of the Ultra Heat Treatment (UHT) milk processing and packaging plant marked an important chapter in Fiji’s agricultural history and laid the foundation for a stronger and more resilient local dairy industry.
