Northern Development Program gets $1.5M

The government has set aside a sum of $1.5 million for the Northern Development Program (NDP) to support the development of small business initiatives in the Northern Division.

Prime Minister Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama announced that next year, Government will provide $1 million under the Integrated Human Resource Program to assist rural communities in establishing income-generating projects and encouraging sustainable livelihood.

He said government will also increase its support of the Agricultural Marketing Authority to $2 million.

The Authority assists farmers and producers with the distribution and marketing of farm produce to both local and overseas markets.

$1 million has been allocated in the 2014 Budget under the Rural and Outer Islands Agricultural Development Program to strengthen commercial agriculture development in rural areas.

In addition, sizeable allocations have been made for divisional development projects, which include $100,000 for the Beqa Island seawall.

$1 million has been allocated in 2014 to boost small-scale timber operations in isolated, maritime communities, by providing them with portable sawmills, a treatment plant and tractor.

This will allow Fijians in these areas to take advantage of a natural resource that was previously too uneconomic to harvest and transport to Viti Levu or Vanua Levu.

Initially, two portable sawmills will be provided to Gau in Lomaiviti and Cicia in Lau to enable the people living there to process timber to build their homes, churches and community halls.

In 2014, Government will increase the funding allocation for self-help projects to $1.5 million.

Under this program, the Government assists community development projects by providing two-thirds of the overall cost of approved projects, and the community funds the remaining third.

Funding in this program is focused on basic needs such as access to reliable water supply, infrastructure and housing.

$600,000 is allocated for the development of roads in Kadavu.

The Committee for the Better Utilization of Land will continue its important work in 2014 with an allocation of $6.4 million.


Story by: Ronal Deo