Government is currently exporting $11 million worth of fresh and processed ginger annually to Australia with the goal to increase this to $25 million in five years.

This was stressed by the Minister for Agriculture, Mahendra Reddy, while launching the online expression of interest for the Sugarcane Growers Fund Council, Business link pacific ginger farming program in Lautoka yesterday.

“We can do that, but progressively less not rushing in no pumping subsidies to get the production without subsidies are pulled out,” he said.

“So let’s build progressively on a sustainable agricultural practice and we can get to the $25 million mark with that.”

He said Kava exports at the moment stood at $60 million annually.

“We have a brand name in certain crops for example, outside Fiji, they want Fijian ginger outside Fiji, they want Fijian ginger, in Australia, but there’s all kinds of other equation of protection of Australian farmer that is keeping our ginger exports floor at a lower level.”

“One of the critical thing that I want to emphasise is that let’s not start on the wrong foot.”

“From dayone, we need to be very particular.”

“We don’t want to go down the route of some of other commercial commodities and products that we have developed and are exporting.”

“We don’t want ginger to be based on subsidies and grants.”

He said the government did not want to build a agriculture sector based on unsustainable practices.

“We need to keep ginger very clean from day one.”

“We need to ensure that farmers have full information we’re getting procedure for production that these are the cost scenario,” he said.

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