The Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) has announced it is implementing an EU-funded project titled "Improving Key Services to Agriculture Fiji," to cushion the economic and social impacts of restructuring Fiji's sugar growing sector.
SPC will assist sugar farmers in employing land that is currently under-utilized.
8 February 2013: The Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) has announced it is implementing an EU-funded project, titled “Improving Key Services to Agriculture Fiji,” to cushion the economic and social impacts of restructuring Fiji’s sugar sector. SPC will assist sugar farmers in employing land that is currently under-utilized.
According to SPC, the project will provide improved access to agricultural inputs such as fertilizers, seeds and assistance with land preparation, as well as technical assistance on production and marketing. A main focus of the initiative is to encourage the production of crops and land use that can boost farmers’ income and productivity. The project also aims to: strengthen farmers’ associations and private sector partnerships; support the horticulture and food crops value chain to enhance supply capacity; and replicate and strengthen the operations of fair trade associations.
Target beneficiaries include the 200,000 Fijians living in the sugar cane belt whose livelihoods rely entirely or partly on sugar cane farming.
Lessons learned from the project will be shared with other Pacific island countries (PICs). [SPC Press Release] [EU Webpage for Project]