New agriculture office commissioned on Rabi Island

Farmers on Rabi Island now have a dedicated Ministry of Agriculture office after years of calls for the Government to strengthen its presence on the remote Banaban community island.

The office at Nuku, Rabi Island, was officially commissioned yesterday by Assistant Minister for Agriculture, Waterways and Sugar Industry Inosi Kuridrani.

Until now, Ministry of Agriculture staff on Rabi operated from a room at the Rabi Council of Leaders building, the island’s governing body, without a dedicated office space.

Rabi Island administrator Iakoba Karutake had long called for a standalone agriculture office, separate from its current administration under Savusavu, arguing that the island has the population, land and workforce to support commercial farming of kava, dalo, cassava and ginger.

During the visit, Mr Kuridrani also toured two key community projects — the Banaban Women’s Organisation’s virgin coconut oil operation and a kava processing machine funded by the ministry and managed by the Rabi Council of Leaders.

From left - Rabi Island Administrator Iakoba Karutake and Assistant Minister for Agriculture Inosi Kuridrani during the commissioning of the Ministry of Agriculture office on June 11, 2026.

Photo: Rabi Council of Leaders

Rabi Island administrator Iakoba Karutake commissioning the new Ministry of Agriculture office on June 11, 2026.

Photo: Rabi Council of Leaders

The Rabi Council of Leaders welcomed the development, saying the new office would bring agricultural support, technical advice and Government services directly to farmers.

“We extend our sincere gratitude to the Government of Fiji for this initiative, which demonstrates its commitment to rural and maritime development and inclusive service delivery,” the council said in a statement.

Rabi Island lies off the north-eastern coast of Vanua Levu and is home to the Banaban people, originally from Banaba (Ocean Island) in present-day Kiribati.

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