Farmers relying on sugar cane need to start planting other crops now, says Minister for Agriculture and Waterways Tomasi Tunabuna.
Responding to questions on concerns raised about the challenges faced by the sugar industry, he said farmers must diversify as the industry faced growing uncertainty in the coming years.
He said the Ministry of Agriculture had long recommended that sugarcane farmers grow supplementary crops to improve their income and meet local market demand.
“We have been recommending in the past to have supplementary crops,” he said.
“This is to address market needs and also their cash flow.
“We have a lot of demand for locally-grown vegetables.”
Mr Tunabuna said much of the produce supplied to Fiji’s hotel industry was still imported, and local farmers could fill that gap with vegetables and root crops.
He added that diversifying crops could also help stimulate local spending, as tourists would have more money to spend outside hotels.
Mr Tunabuna said discussions on expanding alternative crop programs were ongoing, with the goal of helping farmers supplement their sugarcane income.
