JYOTI PRATIBHA
LAUTOKA
The The Fiji Crop & Livestock Council has launched new services to be able to reach and assist more farmers.
Prime Minister Rear Admiral (Retired) Voreqe Bainimarama yesterday opened the new office for the Council in Lautoka.
He also launched a mobile application, through which some 30,000 farmers can easily keep in touch with the Council.
Mr Bainimarama said to make farming a profitable profession in today’s world, often takes more than just planting a few seeds or cuttings or getting a few cattle or goats.
“Farming today is a highly specialised skill and farmers need the proper training and assistance in order to do the job they’re expected to do and to achieve the results they’re hoping to achieve.
“Running a farm is a business and farmers need to be commercially savvy.”
While noting the enormous steps that the Council has taken to modernise their approach towards farming, he said: “We need to modernise the industry and make it more productive.”
Solution
The Council represents farmers and works with Government to find solutions that will grow their businesses.
In 2010, Government gave the Council the green light and today it represents stakeholders from 17 commodity associations, including beef, dairy, pig, goat, root crop, fruit, ginger, kava, coconut and food processors.
At the moment, the FCLC is working on educating farmers about how to apply for loans.
The Council launched the mobile phone applications.
The application will enable users to use their mobile phone to access critical information, such as weather advisories and current market prices.
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