WOMEN and young people must be given greater opportunities to participate in Fiji’s agricultural economy, Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka said yesterday.
Mr Rabuka said the future of agriculture depended on attracting a new generation and ensuring women had equitable access to resources.
He said women made important contributions to farming, food production, processing, marketing and rural enterprises.
“Women must have equitable access to finance, technology, training, land-use opportunities and markets,” he said.
Mr Rabuka said young people should view agriculture as an industry of the future rather than simply traditional farming.
He said modern agriculture required skills in science, engineering, technology, digital applications, business management, marketing and entrepreneurship.
“We need young people not only to farm, but also to become researchers, agronomists, technicians, processors, exporters, innovators and agricultural entrepreneurs,” he said.
Mr Rabuka said this was essential for renewing the agricultural sector and creating productive employment in rural economies.
“Fiji needs young people to contribute across the agricultural value chain,” he said.
“This includes research, production, processing, marketing and exports.”
He said stronger participation by women and youth would help agriculture become a more productive and commercially focused sector. Mr Rabuka said the Government, private sector, development partners, financial institutions and researchers all had roles to play in creating opportunities.
He said Fiji needed to move towards stronger agricultural value chains in which farmers were not merely suppliers of raw materials but active participants in creating value.
Mr Rabuka said this approach would help generate greater economic opportunities from agriculture.
