[Photo: FILE]
Director of Research at Koronivia, Shalendra Prasad IS calling for increased investment, saying more funding is needed to expand research and improve production across the country.
Prasad says while government support has been positive, greater investment is required to strengthen technologies, increase productivity and support farmers.
The Director of Research says continued progress will depend on stronger financial support.
“There has been good support from the past government and also good support from the current government, but definitely we need more. The heavy investment in agriculture research will mean that the production will increase and the base of the country will improve.”
Prasad says research has already delivered results, with new varieties and technologies being tested before they are transferred to farmers for commercial use.
“The crops that we are promoting have all been tested. The varieties have been introduced and we test those varieties in the fields and then we release them for farmers to upscale and commercialise.”
The call for more investment comes as the Minister for Finance says agricultural research plays a critical role in protecting our economy from future shocks.
“Every dollar allocated to agricultural research is a dollar spent protecting our national balance sheet from future disaster relief costs. Healthy soils and resilient seeds and animal breeds directly mean fewer food imports and a stronger Fijian dollar.”
Prasad says strengthening agricultural research will allow Fiji to increase production, adopt new technologies, and build a more resilient agriculture sector.
