Agricultural officers have been challenged to serve the farmers diligently.
To boost service delivery to farmers in the outer rural areas of Fiji, the Minister for Agriculture Vatimi Rayalu and the Assistant Minister Tomasi Tunabuna handed three quad bikes to Agriculture officers from Cicia and Moala in the Lau Group and the Bilateral Quarantine Agreement (BQA) officer in Ba on Monday.
While handing over the quad bikes, Mr Rayalu said mobility had been a challenge for the technical staff. “With the growing number of farmers and unlocking of new areas for farming, mobility has been a challenge for our technical staff on the ground,” he said.
“With the increase in fuel cost, the quad bikes are a cheaper mode of transportation with the added advantage of handling rough terrains better.
“It’s a long-term investment by the ministry to improve our service delivery to farmers you serve in your respective areas and please make sure you look after our assets well.”
The quad bikes are a $75,000 grant from the People’s Republic of China to the government of Fiji toward the modernisation of the sector.
