Skip to main content

Discussion details

Created 21 May 2015

Agricultural officials in the Western Division have begun a 20-day survey of the Western Division as part of the ministry's Agriculture Household Survey.Principal agricultural officer West Vinesh Kumar said farmers in Nadroga, Ba, Tavua and Ra would be visited during the exercise. "All the people engaged in any sort of farming activity will be captured during this survey whether it is commercial, semi commercial or subsistence farmers," he said. Mr Kumar said at the end of the survey, the ministry would be able to determine the correct number of farmers in the different farming categories and the challenges that each are facing.

"About 60 agricultural officers are currently engaged in this exercise for the next 20 days where they are expected to visit around 28,000 household in the Western Division farming communities." He said data collected would be used by policy makers at national level to make better decisions relating to the sector. "It will also assist us in organising markets for the farm products produced by the farmers in different geographical locations." While launching the survey, acting permanent secretary for Agriculture Uraia Waibuta said data was an essential part of evidence necessary to evaluate results of what the ministry was doing. He said the ministry had realised the urgency in updating its statistics database and this has led to strengthening of its statistics division and training of technical staff members.

http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=306578