Government opens applications for farmers hit by TC Vaianu

Fijian farmers who lost crops to Tropical Cyclone Vaianu last week can start applying for Government assistance from today.

This comes as the Ministry of Agriculture confirmed the total damage to the agriculture sector stands at $1.5 million.

Minister for Agriculture, Waterways and Sugar Industry Tomasi Tunabuna announced the TC Vaianu Rehabilitation Plan at the ministry’s Raiwaqa headquarters on yesterday.

Mr Tunabuna also announced a new Home Gardening Initiative aimed at helping all Fijians cope with rising food prices driven by the global fuel crisis.

The ministry’s damage assessment, carried out between April 8 and 10, found 13,769 agricultural households were affected across Kadavu, Ba, Ra, Nadroga/Navosa, and Naitasiri.

More than two-thirds of losses were in crops – cassava, banana, papaya, plantain, export vegetables, and yaqona.

TC Vaianu brought intense rainfall from April 5 to 7, waterlogging farms across the Western Division parts of the Central Division, and Maritime Islands including Vatulele and Kadavu.

From today, affected farmers have one week to submit an Expression of Interest.

Ministry officers will then spend a further week verifying applications before seedlings, planting materials, agro-inputs, and technical advice are distributed.

“Allow us three weeks to finalise these logistics,” Mr Tunabuna said. “We are committed to ensuring that you get back on your feet.”

The ministry also launched the first phase of its Home Gardening Initiative which is open to all Fijians, not just cyclone-affected households.

This initiative is in response to the global fuel crisis, which has pushed up fertiliser, transport, and food costs. Applications are open for two weeks.

The initiative is backed by the Ministry of Health’s National Food and Nutrition Centre and the Ministry of Women, Children, and Social Protection, prioritising single mothers, the elderly, and low-income families.

Ministry deputy secretary Tekini Nakidakida said priority crops for the cyclone recovery include vegetables, fruit trees such as papaya and banana, and yaqona.

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