Non-sugar crop contractors under scrutiny for work delays: Tunabuna

Contractors paid by Government to prepare land for non-sugar crop farmers have delayed some jobs for more than 12 months, as Minister for Agriculture, Waterways and Sugar Tomasi Tunabuna conceded weaknesses in Government monitoring.

The delays have affected farmers who depend on the Ministry’s land preparation assistance to establish crops and generate income.

Mr Tunabuna said stricter monitoring and evaluation of Government-funded projects was needed to address the problem.

"Those inefficiencies are simply because we are not tight on our monitoring and evaluation," he said.

The Ministry provides land preparation assistance to recipient farmers each financial year as part of efforts to encourage farmers to grow and diversify non-sugar crops.

However, delays in preparing the land can affect production because farmers cannot proceed with planting as planned.

Mr Tunabuna called on contractors to improve their performance.

"We want our non-sugar crop farmers to thrive, so I urge contractors to understand their responsibility and implement good work ethics," he said.

He warned contractors who failed to comply or improve their service delivery that they risked losing jobs.

Mr Tunabuna said monitoring and evaluation issues were not limited to the Ministry, pointing to Government institutions such as the Fiji Sugar Corporation as another area where improvements were needed.

"Some efficiencies can be addressed if we just carry out proper monitoring processes," he emphasised.

GPS tracking for Government vehicles

Mr Tunabuna also said Government vehicles needed greater monitoring through Global Positioning System (GPS) technology to improve accountability.

"There have been some discussions in the past to have some monitoring in terms of assessing vehicle mileage for distance travelled and ensuring compliance," he said.

He said there was currently no mechanism inside Government vehicles to assess the activities of civil servants while using them.

"Whatever is done inside the vehicle, that one is not monitored, but, some degree of monitoring process needs to be done," Mr Tunabuna added.