Farmers in rural villages and settlements have been urged to grow rice for personal consumption.

Rural dwellers have also been encouraged to establish compost pits to provide organic manure to their farms.

The message from , Mahendra Reddy, followed his visit to the West, where he made the commitment that the Ministry of Agriculture would assist farmers in such initiatives.

“We want every village to have their own rice field,” Mr Reddy said. “We will provide rice seeds to villages. What villages needed to do is identify between five to ten acres of land that will be set aside for rice production.”

“Clear the land and prepare it ready for planting. In three months’ time after planting, the rice is ready for harvesting,” he said.

He said the ministry would assist with planting materials and machinery, to help with harvesting. The rice was meant for personal consumption, so villagers would no longer buy rice from supermarkets.

Mr Reddy also encouraged villages and settlements to develop communal compost pits to produce organic fertiliser for their farms.

“Instead of using chemical fertilisers, we are strongly promoting using organic fertiliser, which is cheaper, safer and better choice for not only the soil, but also for those that will consume your produce,” he said. “What you need to do is, dig three compost pits for the village, and dump all your organic waste in there, including food rubbish.”

“We will provide the lactic acid bacterium and possibly poultry manure too, to mix it all together to you have your very own organic manure.” Training will be provided to villages on how to develop compost pits, he said.

Mr Reddy carried out a three-day visit of the West, meeting with farmers of:
Navilawa Village, Sabeto;
Drasa Johnson Farmer’s Cluster, in Lautoka;
Nanoko Village, Navatusila;
Vatia Farmers Cluster in Tavua, and
Nandhari Farmers Cluster in Ba; before concluding his visit to the West on Friday (6.11.20).

Source: Ministry of Agriculture

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