More than 35 field officers from Fiji Sugar Corporation and the Sugar Research Institute of Fiji (SRIF) benefitted from the Farm Advisors training course.

The training course organised and held from October 25 to October 27 at the institute’s boardroom in Drasa, Lautoka.

SRIF chief executive officer Mahimairaja Santiago hailed the training as a success.

“The main purpose of this training is to provide empowerment and capacity-building to the farm advisors.

“To assist farmers identify and analyse their production problems and become aware of the opportunities for improvement,” Mr Santiago said.

“The training is envisioned to improve the performance of field staff in their day-to-day interactions with farmers through a greater understanding of the problems facing farmers in an ever-increasingly competitive environment.

“And to place much greater emphasis on practical, field-based crop production advisory activities and grower support,” Mr Santiago said.

Objectives For Farm Advisors
– To learn the adoption of new technologies and methods with a view to achieve a mindset change amongst advisory services providers and beneficiaries to achieve better and measurable extension results, through adopting best management practices related to sugarcane agriculture.

– Perform and enhance their role in developing extension in the sector, through identification of the most appropriate methods and techniques for their target audiences.

– Be fully proficient with the essential up-to-date information from site selection to harvest for production of quality cane and other enterprises on the farm such as intercropping and livestock.

– Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of extension projects and programmes in their assigned sectors.

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