The country’s greatest challenge is transitioning subsistence farmers into subsistence market-oriented, semi-commercial, or commercial farmers, says Opposition Leader Inia Seruiratu.
Speaking in Parliament, Mr Seruiratu said there were still policies that likely needed to be reviewed, especially regarding the assistance provided to farmers.
“How many farmers are able to successfully graduate from a subsistence level to a market-oriented, semi-commercial and commercial farmer?” Mr Seruiratu said.
“Farmers who are doing better deserve more assistance regardless of how many times they have been assisted.
“They need to be incubated over a period of time, with proper training, and technology transfer is important for them as well.”
Mr Seruiratu said with innovative technology and shared knowledge, “we must accelerate the transfer of this knowledge to our farmers”.
“I would suggest to the ministry that there are some services that probably could be outsourced to other stakeholders so that they can concentrate on the core functions and do better in what they are doing.
“I would suggest that the role of the Crop and Livestock Council is an area that we need to consider seriously.
“The agro-business role is very important.
“We need to come out of commodities and go into products.”
