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Feed Fiji First: Go Local Show a success
Yad Ram has farmed rice since he was 17 and looks forward to the day Fiji becomes self-sufficient in rice production.
Now 42, the Dreketi wetlands rice cultivator says if government wants to revitalise the rice industry and reduce its $50 million rice import bill, Fiji must switch to a high yield hybrid variety.
Looking at alternative means to embrace national food security and simultaneously reduce imports and increase exports of agricultural commodities, not just rice, is a priority government wants to achieve.
For farmers like Ram, import substitution not only means ensuring a sustainable income, but it also raises the mark of rice cultivation because it’s a passion and the monetary incentives are there.
The permanent secretary for Agriculture Mason Smith is adamant of government’s continuous commitment to farmers. It can be safely said that talks of actively reducing our import bill is no longer an option, but a necessity.
And the ‘Feed Fiji First: Go Local’ themed 2010 Crest Agriculture Show was a demonstration of the recognition of the role farmers and the private sector play in the industry that contributes up to 8.3 percent to Fiji’s Gross Domestic Product.
While government has introduced programmes to progress the ‘Feed Fiji First: Go Local’ programme, Smith says: “What we are also trying to break is the handout mentality that was unfortunately encouraged by the previous governments. We will not spoon-feed anyone any longer. What we are advising everyone in the agricultural sector is that farming should be treated like a business.”
Major private sector funder of the 2010 Agriculture Show, Crest Chicken, fully supports government’s agricultural drive to secure food security.
General manager (Fiji) Goodman Fielder Asia-Pacific, Shaun Joils said: “Food security is probably one of the most important objectives any country should have.
"Crest Chicken is right behind the drive by government to become self-sufficient in food supply with the important economic benefits of import substitution and the realisation of potential for export growth.”
“Key to this is developing and expanding Fiji’s agriculture sector. The agriculture show sets out to help do this.”
Joils highlights that Fiji’s poultry industry is moving towards becoming self-sufficient through further investment and expansion.
This, he says, “will enhance Fiji’s food security and enable the poultry industry to access export markets in other Pacific countries.”
Government is keen to reduce the import of food items. For the agriculture sector this includes the reduction of rice, potato, beef and mutton imports by $105 million over the next five years and increase exports by at least 30 percent.
Smith notes the policy directive is currently being implemented through a demand driven approach using the following programmes:
• Import substitution ($2m).
• Export substitution ($3m).
• Rural & outer islands ($1.5m).
• Sigatoka Valley improvement ($2m).
• Dairy industry support ($1.5m).
• Farm gate milk subsidy ($2.5m).
Other programmes to further support and implement government policies include the “feed the hotels” programme, designed to ensure Fiji farmers consistently produce quality crops and vegetables for the hotel industry.
Smith said: “Government has also announced a number of policy measures to assist farmers. These include assistance to our bee industry (announced in the 2010 budget) and the increase in tariffs for imported fruits and vegetables (from five percent to 15 percent), which was announced in the revised budget.”
“Other initiatives such as the increase in the price of rice to $760 per tonne, the restructure of the Coconut Industry Development Authority, the establishment of the Biosecurity Authority of the Fiji Islands, and the establishment of the Land Bank, are just some examples of our ongoing commitment to farmers and the agriculture sector.”
Under the current land reforms, the Land Bank established under the 2010 Lands Decree has been welcomed by the agriculture sector.
The initiative, says Smith, will further facilitate the leasing of both state and indigenous owned land with terms and conditions to “stimulate the agriculture sector as a whole, thereby increasing production and creating income and wealth generation for our rural communities.
“It’s a win, win situation for everyone concerned.”
With the launch of the National Crop and Livestock Council (NCLC) and the National Agriculture Research Council, government views these bodies to drive agriculture research and development (R&D). The NCLC will be the voice of non-sugar agriculture farmers.
Science-based and market driven are the operative words. While R&D is carried out at various research stations around the country, it is believed to be ad-hoc.
Challenges impacting the vulnerable agricultural sector are not new. While industry stakeholders have spoken repeatedly about challenges such as processing facilities, road conditions, high feed costs, marketing networks, pests/diseases, and technology for instance, it is envisaged that a common body such as the two newly established councils will provide firmer direction.
What government wants is a blueprint and an understanding of the priority areas needing attention in agriculture R&D.
So when Ram, who won the 2008 Best Rice Farmer of the Year award during the National Rice Week in Navua two years ago, wonders why “our rice variety (Star) is not producing as much as in other countries,” it could be one for the National Agriculture Research Council to explore.
Ram paints a scenario: “Indonesia’s population is around 20 million and they are self-sufficient in their rice. Fiji’s population isn’t even one million and we still have to import rice.”
With the potato programme in Nadarivatu, rice revitalisation programme in Vanua Levu, revamping rice paddies in Navua, and the livestock programme and farm gate subsidies, among others, to boost production there is some hope. At the end of the day it’s about a farmer’s ability to put food on the table and money in the pocket. With the right incentives and support, a career in farming becomes a viable option. The bottom line—food security and going locally by feeding Fiji first, while at the same time looking beyond.
Bamboo technique
In some parts of the world, small-scale urban agriculture or rooftop gardening is incorporated into city or town planning. The activity is ideal in congested metropolitan areas where space is limited. A few bits around Suva, for instance, are visually busy and drab for the want of nature.
A contraption that can be used in space-limited zones, if not already integrated into the architectural plan, is a simple yet practical bamboo culture for plants.
Isei Nabitu of the Ministry of Agriculture’s crop extension division explains: “A bamboo culture is a Chinese model used in backyard gardens where space is limited to rooftops.”
It’s actually several pieces of bamboo of various sizes strategically strapped to create a self-irrigating, tiered garden. Aside from the aesthetic values of greenery, rooftop gardens (either floral, leafy, or food) provide relaxation, supplement a tenant’s vegetable supply, and can even absorb some atmospheric heat making your immediate environment a tad cooler.
Nabitu suggests, for instance, planting tomatoes on the upper hollowed bamboo, and cabbage on the bottom tier. Interested individuals should approach their nearest agriculture department for bamboo culture designs. As for the versatile bamboo, you need to provide your own.
Teak gets a tick
Several media stories later since the company that cultivates teak trees came into the spotlight in 2005, the business has since grown upwards.
Future Forests Fiji, the company responsible for teak plantations in Nakorotubu, Mataso, and Burenitu in the Ra province, says the number of teak trees planted is just one of several positive ticks on Future Forests' teak timeline.
Company managing director Roderic Evers says the aim is it to produce 100,000 cubic metres of log each year.
“When we’re at that stage, we’ll be looking at 22-year-old tree rotations and about an annual $60 million turnover. What we’re doing is a long-term investment, but once the investment starts maturing, it will be a very valuable return.”
It’s a long-term venture that started out as an idea in 2003 to plant 25 acres of teak for him and his wife’s other investment—their children. The initial thinking was that in 25 years time the husband and wife team would’ve saved enough to give their children a headstart in life. But as Evers points out, it has grown to more than that.
Keen on rural development, Future Forests now has 130,000 teak trees planted and growing. Its shareholder base now totalling 32 investors—both local and foreign.
Trading on the South Pacific Stock Exchange is where Future Forests expects to be soon.
“To grow out to 3,000 or 5,000 hectares we’re going to raise more capital on the South Pacific Stock Exchange. We hope to have our prospectus ready in the next few months,” says Evers.
“The investment raised through the IPO (Initial Public Offering) will be invested into planting more trees. The other benefit is that it will enable anyone in Fiji to become a shareholder in the company. We’ll be targeting some of the mataqalis we do leases with, provincial holding companies and other individuals and corporations.”
The Evers’ teak business employs a substantial number of villagers especially within the Nakorotubu, Mataso, and Burenitu areas. Employment contracts are not the only benefits for the lessor mataqalis, who gain significantly from lease money and the 10 percent royalty on the value of the trees.
Traditional to Southeast Asia, teak has grown on Fiji soil since the 1940s when government trialled it alongside mahogany. Mahogany has since been commercialised.
Future Forests is reviving teak in Fiji with a total investment of around $8 million. Since Future Forests carried out its first teak trials in 2006, annual yields have been healthy compared to teak yields around the world.
Evers says “we’re getting good timber volumes in Fiji. Once the trees start to generate revenue, we’ll use some of the timber sales to plant more trees”.
The biggest teak markets are India and China. The valuable tropical hardwood, much sought after on the international market, thrives here where our wet and dry climate is highly conducive to its growth. Teak can be found growing non-commercially in Viti Levu and Vanua Levu and in Lomaiviti group, Lau and Taveuni, among other areas.
Evers said: “This is a good export product. Some of the furniture imported by some hotels are from Thailand or Indonesia. We could produce all that locally. We’re developing an industry that has benefits for shareholders, rural communities and Fiji as an export product.
“Various Fiji-based companies have stamped their mark abroad with their own branding. Imagine a Fiji teak brand. That’s another vision of Future Forests.
“We’re promoting mataqalis or people that own land to plant their own trees. We will provide them with the knowledge on how to plant the tree because at the end of the day we want to create a Fiji teak brand.
“We are a green company. We only plant on deforested lands. We don’t clear-fell, but only do sustainable harvesting. We will be working on our Forestry Stewardship Council certification—the international trademark for eco-timber. We’re also in the process of developing our carbon-sync sales (carbon trading). We hope to start selling that by the end of the year.”
What does Future Forests want government to do? To create incentives that makes people want to invest in planting trees.
And how does Evers see the future of his teak plantations and Future Forests Fiji?
“I see Future Forests Fiji as a company with a thriving timber business, managing plantations, operating a sawmill, value adding, partnering with mataqalis, creating a lot of employment, and a good export product.”
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