2021 declared the Year of the Coconut for Fiji

2021 has been declared the Year of the Coconut for Fiji.

This was stated by the Permanent Secretary for Agriculture Ritesh Dass to delegates attending the 56th Virtual International Coconut Community Session and Ministerial Meeting 2020.

Dass says 2021 has been identified to promote and revitalize Fiji’s Coconut Industry.

Dass says the COVID-19 pandemic had put Fiji’s Food systems under strain, increasingly challenging its capacity to guarantee food security and nutrition and provide a good profitable source of livelihoods for the population.

However he says, the Ministry, farmers, exporters and all other relevant stakeholders have worked hard to accelerate delivery of its initiatives, result of which is that production of agricultural commodities have been boosted and exports increased by 15%  for the first half of 2020 compared to the same period of 2019.

Dass adds the government is committed to rehabilitating the coconut industry in promoting the use of coconut for nutrition, health and wealth.