FIJI must diversify its coconut industry and move beyond relying on the sale of raw commodities, Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka said yesterday.
Mr Rabuka said the country should encourage investment in coconut oil, virgin coconut oil, food products, cosmetics, fibre, charcoal and other commercially viable products.
He said greater value could be created from the country’s coconut resources.
“Our ambition must go beyond producing more coconuts. We must build a modern coconut industry that creates more value for every coconut produced,” he said.
Mr Rabuka said the industry needed stronger processing, better products, improved branding and reliable quality to gain access to higher-value markets.
“We must also diversify our produce,” he said.
He said diversification could provide farmers with more than one source of income while making farming systems more resilient to market and climate shocks.
Mr Rabuka said Fiji needed to shift from raw production to value creation because that was where greater income and economic contribution would come from.
