Fiji: Bad weather leaves farmers struggling

Fruit and vegetable production is down and prices are on the up as a result of the prolonged dry wea…

Fruit and vegetable production is down and prices are on the up as a result of the prolonged dry weather that has gripped the Western Division.

Nature's Way Cooperative Ltd CEO Michael Brown said produce exporters in the country were reeling from the effects of the prolonged dry spell as farmers struggled to meet the heavy vegetable and crop demand.

He said should the El Nino effect become more pronounced in the coming months, production would be further affected and emergency measures such as irrigation would be needed. The head of the cooperative, a company responsible for the treatment and packaging of export produce, says the weather affected primary commodities including papaya, mango, eggplant and breadfruit.

He said so far, 671.837 tonnes of the four commodities had been exported to markets in New Zealand, Australia, Japan and Hong Kong.

"So far, the throughput for exports is not too bad when considering the dry weather that had set in earlier with the cold weather affecting the ripening of papaya," he said. "However, in a good year the production would have been around 900 to 1000 tonnes. This shortfall is affecting the industry quite significantly as exporters are further burdened with quality issues because of weather factors. The exporters are trying to cope with the supply to their overseas markets but such problems cause a disruption to normal exports and as a result, the whole value chain gets affected.

Sigatoka-based export company, Farmboy, says the dry weather has affected their ability to supply the markets. "We have temporarily stopped exporting to New Zealand due to the shortage of produce," said company head Kamlesh Prasad.

He said fruits such as watermelon, which normally retailed for about $2 at this time of the year, was selling at $3.50 to $4 per kg.

The Agriculture Ministry has been conducting site visits and are assisting farms that were the most affected.