Farmers in drought-prone areas such as Dramasi, Momi and Tailevu need targeted assistance to improve production and reduce Fiji’s reliance on imported vegetables, MP Vijay Nath said.
He said the areas had long been recognised as El Niño red zones, yet farmers continued to struggle with water shortages during dry seasons, limiting their ability to produce crops. His concerns came as Fiji imported $20million worth of vegetables, highlighting the need to strengthen local production in areas where water scarcity remained a longstanding challenge.
“El Niño red zones are not new — they are permanent problem areas,” he said.
“This is already for a long, long time, it has been, we don’t have water during this dry season of these areas.
“And you’ll find the production level is very low there.”
Mr Nath urged the ministry to look beyond its immediate El Niño response and consider longer-term support for farmers in these areas.
He suggested that agricultural field officers identify and work with targeted groups of farmers to improve production and help reduce vegetable imports.
Ministry of Agriculture PS Andrew Tukana acknowledged the concerns, saying hotels accounted for much of the increase in vegetable imports.
“That is quite right. And I think for the ballooning of imports was mostly through the hotels. So, the hotels are importing most of those vegetables.”
Mr Tukana also recognised the water shortages affecting the identified red zones and said the ministry would work with farmers to develop strategies suited to their local conditions.
