PRIME Minister Sitiveni Rabuka is expecting the Fiji Crop and Livestock Council (FCLC) to connect farmers with the Government and transform the agriculture sector into a more secure and profitable industry.
Speaking at the Fiji Farmers Economic Summit 2025, he commended the Council for its continued efforts to amplify farmers’ voices and coordinate activities among various producer organisations.
“FCLC was established to give farmers a strong united voice to advocate for their interests, and to ensure that national policies reflect the realities faced in our fields and farms,” Mr Rabuka said.
He described the FCLC as a farmer-driven organisation representing more than 20 commodity-based associations, ranging from livestock to root crops, honey, and vegetables.
He said the Council was created with the vision of organising and empowering farmers through improved access to markets, training, information, and financial services.
“It now exists to bridge the gap between farmers and government, between science and the soil, between policy and practice, and between market requirements and supply conformance.
Mr Rabuka said through FCLC’s efforts, farmers today had access to:- financial and insurance literacy programs, helping families to maximise benefits from their resources through appropriate planning, record keeping, monitoring and learning,- parametric insurance and disaster risk financing tools, giving farmers a safety net to prepare for disasters and better manage risks, when nature hits hard like flood, drought and cyclones,- digital platforms, enabling farmers to register, connect, and benefit from extension services and market updates, and- training and capacity-building programs that help farmers improve productivity using sustainable and climate-smart techniques.
He said the Council’s work was laying the foundation for a future where farmers were better equipped to manage risks and take advantage of emerging opportunities.Mr Rabuka said empowering farmers for sustainable agriculture meant giving the farmers the tools to adapt, the voice to influence, and the support to thrive.
He reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to working with FCLC and farmers to ensure that the agricultural sector remained a driver of national growth.
