Permanent Secretary for Trade Mr. Shaheen Ali delivered a moving call to action at the 2025 Fiji Farmers Economic Summit, urging farmers to step beyond subsistence and seize their place on the global agricultural stage.
“You’re not just building farms, you’re building our future”, the Permanent Secretary declared, reframing agriculture as a key export driver for Fiji and the wider Blue Pacific region.
With international markets increasingly seeking clean, sustainable produce, Mr. Ali outlined the growing demand from countries like the UAE, Australia, New Zealand, China, and the United States for Fijian staples such as ginger, turmeric, dalo, cocoa, and coffee. Yet the challenge remains: can Fiji scale up to meet that demand consistently and competitively?
“Not yet,” Mr. Ali admitted. “But that’s also our opportunity.” He emphasised that with proper organisation, quality assurance, and production volume, Fijian farmers could become premium suppliers in high-value global markets.
To prove that potential, Mr. Ali spotlighted homegrown success stories. The Lovia Turmeric Co-operative in Naitasiri now exports to New Zealand, Ona Coffee in Ra is moving towards export readiness with value-added roasted beans, and Heritage Kava from Levuka is already reaching U.S. consumers via Amazon. These examples, he stressed, illustrate the tangible gains when community effort meets strategic support.
Mr. Ali then turned to the tools available to farmers, co-operatives, and young entrepreneurs.
Through six distinct programmes, from the Integrated Human Resource Development Programme (IHRDP) and the Northern Development Programme (NDP) to the Young Entrepreneur Scheme (YES), the National Export Strategy (NES) and the Trade Enhancement Programme (TEP), including the new Cooperative Development Fund (CDF), the Ministry offers targeted financial and technical assistance to scale rural agribusinesses.
“These aren’t giveaways. They’re tools. You bring the effort, we’ll help bring the resources,” he said.
Equally crucial is the role of market linkage. The Ministry, working with Investment Fiji and overseas Trade Commissioners, is actively connecting producers to buyers who demand quality and reliability. Through cluster farming and partnerships with private-sector players like Fiji Water and Aitken Spence, Government is helping transform smallholder production into coordinated, export-ready supply chains.
In closing, Mr. Ali challenged every farmer to take concrete steps.
“Don’t wait to be discovered,” he urged. “Register your Co-op or Business. Talk to our team. Don’t leave this summit with just inspiration. Leave with a contact. Leave with a plan.”
His address was not just a policy pitch, it was a passionate invitation to every Fijian farmer to stop thinking small and start building businesses that feed, sustain, and compete.
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