Fiji has been plagued by severe rural poverty like many other developing nations since the onset of the global pandemic in 2019, said Professor Partha Gangopadhyay.
He is a consultant for the Ministry of Employment in the review of Fiji’s national minimum wage, based at Western Sydney University in Australia.
Speaking via Zoom, during the national minimum wage consultation forum in Nausori yesterday, Prof Gangopadhyay said rural poverty has precipitated agrarian crises partly because of inadequate financial returns to farming for households of farmers and small landowners.
He said many rural farmers and workers’ household incomes failed to exceed the basic needs poverty line in Fiji.
“The annual basic needs poverty line is $2179.39 per adult equivalent or $41.91 per adult equivalent per week,” Prof Gangopadhyay said.
He said based on consumption expenditure, the incidence of poverty in Fiji was 29.9 per cent.
“Like other developing nations, 62. 2 per cent of the poor live in rural areas.
“About 176,000 Fijian rural people fail to rise above the basic needs poverty line income of $41.91 in 2019 to 2020.”
Employment Ministry permanent secretary Osea Cawaru said their duty was raising awareness on this agenda on the national minimum wage on behalf of Government.
