Close to $14 million has been allocated by the New Zealand Government as part of its Fiji Dairy Industry Development initiative.

The broad goal is to sustain the domestic milk supply as imports are still high.

Permanent Secretary for Agriculture, Uraia Waibuta, said that is the five year programme from 2015 – 2020 and there about six components under the programme which will be addressed.

One is the construction of a new dairy facility which will include a pilot training centre near Koronivia Research Centre.

Mr Waibuta said the new dairy facility would be used as a training facility and at the same time be run as a commercial farm.

New Zealand Foreign Affairs Minister, Murray McCully, will be visiting the site today to witness the progress with the construction and other details.

Mr Waibuta said they are still finalising the structural design but other activities have started already in the form of training.

The dairy facility is expected to be ready by the end of this year or early next year.

The six components:

1. Improvement towards the Ministry of Agriculture’s extension services. This will include the training of the staff, the provision on farm support, on milk quality and hygiene training.
2. The recruitment of a vet for the Ministry of Agriculture
3. The establishment of the focal farm – the construction of the dairy farm in Koronivia (demo farm) bringing the farmers to that facility to train them on the technical expertise.
4. Milk Supply and purchase agreement
5. Create a dairy industry data base
6. Collection centre and transporting system – improve of the cooling centre in Naluwai (which has begun).

Edited by: rachna lal

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