Govt aims to cut food import bill by $24.1m

Government aims to cut the nation’s food import bill by $24.1 million through the targeted local production of 18 high-demand items according to Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Biman Prasad. 

Mr Prasad made the revelation at the 2025 National Agriculture Show at Koroivolu Park in Nadi.

The minister stressed that the International Finance Corporation report shows that hotels and resorts in Fiji’s main tourism regions spent $74.4m on fresh produce in 2017, with more than 52 per cent of that and about $38.5m paid for imported goods.

“This is our opportunity to change that to take pride in what we can grow, to innovate boldly and make Fiji a leader in sustainable agriculture,” Mr Prasad said.

The 18 key items identified include vegetables such as; potato, coloured and green capsicum, broccoli, lettuce, cauliflower, zucchini, purple cabbage, and green cabbage; fruits such as tomato, orange, rock melon, and honeydew melon; as well as beef, bacon, prawn, cheese and packaged tropical juices.

Mr Prasad stressed that replacing these imports with locally grown produce would strengthen Fiji’s economy, create jobs and provide fresher and more reliable food for the booming tourism industry.

“To meet this goal we have increased the total funding to the non-sugar agriculture, fisheries and forestry sector to almost $238m, with $115m dedicated to agriculture alone,” he said.

He urged farmers to adopt new technologies and climate-smart practices to boost productivity and consistency.

“When farmers succeed, our whole nation thrives.”

Mr Prasad said that the initiative is a national responsibility to secure food security and economic independence.