Farmers in Muaniweni in Naitasiri met with the Ministry of Agriculture to look at how the Ministry can assist them in developing their agriculture sector.

Permanent Secretary, Jitendra Singh met with the farmers to look at the level of assistance provided to them by the Government this week.

During the meeting, Mr Singh said Government is always keen on working closely with farmers on resolving their issues.

He advised them that the Ministry would also create more awareness on its services and assistance towards them.

“While there is a lot of request for assistance, farmers are required to meet certain criteria to qualify for the assistance.

“The basic one of course is to convince the Ministry that the assistance will go towards good use in increasing agricultural production,” Mr Singh said.

The Ministry also organised a meeting between farmers and agriculture officials on Monday at Muaniweni College for those interested, officials will be available to register their requests and attend to queries.

Some of the assistance provided by the Ministry includes the fertiliser subsidy program, extension services, seeds and the planting materials.

The  was also highlighted for Muaniweni, which can include land preparation, planting material, fertilizers and poultry manure.