THE head of the Fiji Crops and Livestock Council (FCLC) has issued a passionate plea for more government support, warning that thousands of farmers could be left behind if funding continues to fall short.
FCLC chief executive Jiu Daunivalu said the council might receive only $500,000 in the next budget, less than half of the $1.3 illion they had asked for.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if we end up with $500,000. Where are we heading?” she said.
Ms Daunivalu said looking after 92,00 farmers was a challenge, especially with a $500,000 budget.
“When you invest resources here, you’ll see the impact — not just in villages and communities, but across the whole country.”
While speaking at the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Summit, she warned that talking about policies was not enough.
“We can’t just plan without realism. We need to know where we want to be,” she said. “It’s time to take farmers seriously.”
She says the council supports farmer training, connects rural producers to markets, and works to move farmers from subsistence to commercial agriculture, but without proper funding, their mission is at risk.
In response, the Deputy Prime Minister Manoa Kamikamica said he would raise this with the relevant ministries and discuss ways to help the organisation more.
