Taveuni is no longer the country’s biggest copra farm.
The shift from copra to dalo and yaqona export over the past years has resulted in a decline of copra farming.
Senior agriculture & research officer Taveuni, Semisi Tuikilakila told assistant Agriculture Minister Tomasi Tuinabuna the shortage of staff and resources within the copra farming program that his team faced over the years has also contributed to the situation.
“The biggest copra farms now sit in Wailevu West, Buca and Natewa areas as more farmers in that area are now involved in planting copra,” he said.
“We don’t have enough manpower and for coconut breeding, we only have seven workers so this is not easy for our team.
“We used to have more people involved but as they resigned and moved on, their positions were not filled.”
Mr Tuikilakila said they have also conducted value adding programs for copra farmers to help maintain the interest in the industry.
“It started in 2013 and reps from the different villages and provinces spend a few weeks at the Mua training centre where they are taught to make jewelry and other products from coconuts,” he said.
“This has been a success as well and we have similar program at the Tutu Training Centre.”
The Ministry of Agriculture had about 200 vacancies during the term of the last government.
Mr Tunabuna said they have started advertising the vacant positions.
