The services of a consultant will be hired to link farmers’ produce to the tourism properties in order to promote buy local.

This will be done through the Ministry of Agriculture under the Back to Rural Agriculture Farming programme.

84 farmers received farming kits at the Legalega Research Station.

Minister for Agriculture, Waterways and Environment, Mahendra Reddy said he was aware many people had moved back to agriculture to expand their livelihood and support export agriculture as well.

“We have a donor on board. We are looking at hiring a consultant who will in the next 12 months visit hotels and talk to the general managers, CEO and purchasing officers to buy locally,” he said.

“We are now talking to hotels to buy their produce so that we don’t have to worry about the market as the borders have opened and opening more.

“There will be increasing demand to occupy the menu made by chefs in hotels.”

He added that under the programme they would run training sessions for chefs.

“We will make sure it is compulsory that all the chefs do attend the training session at no cost to them,” he said.

One of the recipients, Rajneel Prasad, 30, of Malamala, Nadroga was thankful to the Government for the assistance.

Mr Prasad, an accounting/IT graduate, lost his job in 2020 due to the pandemic and has since resorted to his 10-acre farm for sustainable income.

“It is always a dream for a farmer to use such a farming mechanism and it is hard since you have to pay for it, now the ministry has allowed us to have it,” he said.

“The onus is on us to make great use of this collaboration,” he said.

Ilisoni Ratusai, 40, of Saunaka, Nadi shared similar sentiments. He said, “I was affected by the pandemic and now I have moved into agriculture with the few youths in the village to sustain our livelihood.”

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