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SOWING SEEDS OF DOUBT: The farmers who lost everything question MoA's report that it is sending packets of seedlings to farmers - which farmers - what areas? Why no inspections of 'Winston' damaged farms?

26/2/2016

9 Comments

 
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SEEDLINGS PREPARED FOR DISPATCH TO FARMERS

Agriculture is one of Fiji's largest revenue earner and provides income and employment for thousands of farmers across Fiji. Apart from it's contribution to Fiji's GDP, the agriculture sector provides food security and helps secure the future of communities across the country.

When TC Winston struck the nation, it devastated farms across Fiji and directly impacting the lives of farmers and in the process, the nation's food security. To mitigate this, the Ministry of Agriculture and with the assistance of donors and the private sector immediately responded by providing the necessary assistance to ensure that our farmers can have access to farming tools and seedlings. By doing this, we are putting in place measures to avoid a disruption in our food security.

Tonight the Ministry of Agriculture staff started preparing the packaging of seedlings for farmers - each pack contains seedlings for 7 different vegetables including long beans, cucumbers, cabbages, watermelons etc.

Despite the lack of power, the staff continued to work overtime to have these seedlings ready for dispatch to ALL affected farmers. It's a long proces but its one that the Minister for Rural and Maritime Development Hon. Inia Seruiratu is personally overseeing to ensure that the seedlings are packed in time for delivery across the country: Source - Fiji Government

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Vegetable prices soar amid crisis

By Felix Chaudhary
Fiji Times
Saturday, February 27, 2016


WEST senior agricultural officer Vinesh Kumar has raised serious concerns about the escalating prices of vegetables at some municipal markets in the Western Division.

A survey conducted by this newspaper at the Lautoka Municipal Market yesterday revealed prices of goods had increased by about 500 per cent in some cases. When contacted yesterday, Mr Kumar said agricultural officers would look into the issue. "We will be closely monitoring the situation because gone are the days when middlemen could artificially escalate prices and take advantage of situations like Severe Tropical Cyclone Winston," he said.

Vendors at the market said they had been forced to pay exorbitant prices for basic vegetables. Lebua Sunia, a vegetable seller for the past 15 years, said while prices were expected to increase after natural disasters, the level of mark-up this time had been alarming. "Vegetables that people buy every day have gone up by huge amounts," the 50-year-old said.

Ms Sunia said English cabbage wholesale prices had increased from $30 a bag to $60, spinach from $8 a dozen to $24, Chinese cabbage from $20 a plastic to $30 and cucumber from $30 a bag to $80. Kaliappa Naidu, a vendor for more than 30 years, said customers needed to buy vegetables and store them while the prices were relatively cheap.

"Just before Severe TC Winston came, I could buy a bag of eggplant for anywhere between $5 and $10 a bag," he said.

"Today, that same bag costs me between $30 to $40."

Vegetable supply was expected to normalise in the next 4-6 months.


9 Comments
Chiku
26/2/2016 11:58:41 pm

Fiji has less than ONE million people. If the State authorities have the right political will there should be no obstacles to getting the required assistance to ALL who need it. It's as simple and straightforward as that.
And when you factor in the numerous international agencies based in Fiji, the wide range of local community, church and charity civil society organisations, it is inexcusable for ANY victim of the cyclone disaster to miss out on assistance.
It is a question of doing the right thing by the people IN NEED. And, I am happy to note many citizens are already doing that on their own accord and even out of their own pockets. They are the true patriots.

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Vili
27/2/2016 09:16:30 am

Well said Chiku.

I am pleased to note that you are not one of those who believe in the alleged 'colour coding' strategy that the PM and his Government have been accused of doing by the likes of Pita.

Under that alleged strategy, the PM is giving preferences to politically 'friendly' areas.

Pita does not realize that the higher level co-ordinating committees of the relief operation includes senior officers from the Australian and NZ Defence Forces who have their own people deployed in the relief operation. They (as well as foreign donor governments) would immediately detect any skulduggery of the sort Pita is alleging.

I agree with you that we should be saluting those who are out there helping in the relief effort. I am sure the victims too will be saluting them too.

In Taveuni people there cried with emotion when the French Air Force plane landed with relief supplies.



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Santa Maharaj
27/2/2016 04:00:54 am

1st stage of distribution of seeds are of no concerns to who receives them to plant. It is who is ready to plant and not have seeds sitting in the shelve.

There must be crops planted and ready for the market a.s.a.p. and that matters most at immediate stage and that the distribution is scattered to all areas where disaster happened and those who request for the seeds from other areas to support the Govt to plant quick crops for the market.

Chinese cabbage, sarso bhaji, spinach, French beans would be best to be distributed to the most as they are ready for harvest quicker.

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Ratu Don
27/2/2016 05:38:43 am

No dismac ration has reached Ba, Tavua and Rakiraki yet. No MoA seedlings reached Sigatoka and Nausori farmers who provide the most vegetables to feed the Fijian population yet. Where the fuck is the rations and seedlings going then Inia Seruratu? He has the balls to talk about not politicising the ration distribution but we are not all blind. We see history repeating itself but this time, more cruely than ever before.

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Mele
27/2/2016 08:39:47 am

We have just returned from Tavua, Ra and Tailevu. What we see is heartwarming. Hundreds of people, man, women, young old, Fijian, Indian, all out there with their cars, vans, trucks loaded with all sorts of materials, helping people. This is what makes Fiji great. In disasters, people come out to help others. We talked to many who visited the centres we did with our small packs of assistances. Most were from Suva, Nadi and Lautoka. There were some from abroad (many rental cars also seen). Church groups are active. Indian religious mandals are also very active. One Indian mandal brought pots of pulau to the evacuation centre full of Fijians.

But we see no picture of these brave patriots in the fiji media. All we see is Bainimarama, Khaiyum and Rosy, photo after photo of them, and journalists following them like they are film stars. Yet in a whole week, not a single story or a photo of the patriots who bring smiles to families of those devastated by Winston. Why is media behaving as if the only people who are assisting are Bai-Kai-Rosy? Why is media behaving like Bai-Kai-Rosy's bitch. These three are doing what they are doing in their paid time (they are paid a salary); what they distribute is tax payers and charity money. None has forked out a single cent from their pockets. Yet, Fiji Sun, Times and TV make it appear that they are taking out their personal time and money to help needy. The real champions are the hundreds of ordinary people who take out their time, burn their petrol, buy groceries, clothes, and building materials from their money, and give these out to people who they may not even have relationships with. Media should stop publishing photos of politicians - that is not news; that is their work. Media should write about civilians assisting victims. That will be news. We are overwhelmed by these people. And we are angered by the way Sun, Times and TV shamelessly project Bai-Kai and Rosy.

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Lola
28/2/2016 02:30:31 pm

Agreed. These people are pathetic! They should be ashamed of themselves. Kudos to the people and the unseen people who have gone out if their way to help their fellow citizens. And Kudos to Australia and NZ, France for donating Aid, as well as the other countries who have donated through Aid organisations.

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Pita
27/2/2016 11:54:52 am

Well said, Mele. I believe responding to citizens' needs are in the PMs job description and that is why he is paid $350,000 (more than a quarter million dollars a year) to do his job. Ordinary citizens do not have a job description they have to respond to and are helping from their heart with not gaggle of media trailing them

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Learn from your mistakes MEDIA..
27/2/2016 07:31:05 pm

Very True Mele. You go woman. Fiji the way it should be is getting destroyed by media by them going out to those areas where they can only see PM and his only advisor Khaiyum and now Akbar.

Or is it the Govt's media team are the only ones in the field that are taking their photos for Fiji First Party campaign to show PM is everywhere, who tell media they must print those photos?

If yes, then it shows journalists from those media are either not in the field, or after taking directives from Govt team the Editor prints only those photos on PM, Aiyaz and Akbar, as there is no allocation of space left in the paper to show any other photos.

Media may do justice to those hard working unpaid volunteers whose spirits can be uplifted by the media adding 2 pages to their paper allocated only for photos of those personnel showing the spirit of communities at its best.

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Socho
28/2/2016 12:58:03 am

Everything NFP leader Biman Prasad said in his message is spot on, except his smile at the end!

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