Nabilah S
Agriculture Minister Vatimi Rayalu made these remarks in parliament, noting that poverty leads to various social issues such as drug and substance abuse, domestic violence, suicide, and child exploitation, among others.
He described poverty as a cancer, eroding the muscle, flesh, and bone of society, and emphasized that it must be tackled directly by the government and relevant stakeholders.
The Agriculture Minister cited the Household and Income Expenditure Survey from 2019-2020, which estimated that 24.1 percent of Fiji’s population was affected by poverty.
He stated that poverty is a major obstacle to socioeconomic development and stressed that to improve the lives of people in Fiji, the government must intensify efforts to fight and reduce poverty.
The Minister stated that, according to the latest Agriculture Census Report, nearly 40 percent of households in Fiji are engaged in agriculture. However, these households often face constraints due to limited access to resources, services, technologies, markets, and economic opportunities, which in turn lowers productivity and income levels.
He mentioned that the ministry’s objective of fully realizing the potential of agriculture as a tool for socio-economic development has led to the creation of a five-year plan from 2024-2028. This plan aligns with the government’s National Development Plan and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals to develop and transform agriculture in Fiji. Supporting the Agriculture Minister, Opposition Leader Inia Seruiratu emphasized that the opposition consistently supports agriculture and other key sectors.
He also expressed gratitude to the Minister for highlighting the Poverty Incidence Level as reported in the 2019-2020 Household and Income Expenditure Survey report.
