Agriculture sector

Traditionally, farmers have relied heavily on inherited farming knowledge and practices to establish and manage their farms. A major challenge for the industry remains timely access to the latest farming advice.

This innovative project hopes to connect farmers to the latest information and advisory services to help boost their productivity. The project will first undertake market research to determine the information needs of farmers across several regions in the country.

Minister of Internal Affairs, Ishmael Kalsakau, responsible for labour launched the Framework for the Reintegration of Agriculture Workers in Labour Mobility Programmes.

Director General (DG) of MALFFB, Moses Amos, said the framework will support seasonal workers become business ready investors.

“It is designed to start in the provinces, with pre-departure support before they leave Vanuatu, and continuing when they return,” Amos said.

According to the Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD), Antoine Ravo, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on tourism, the devastation of TC Harold on the Northern Provinces, volcanic ashfall in Tanna, and recovery from the volcanic eruptions in Ambae and Ambrym, has seen agriculture come to the forefront as a key industry to support the country’s economic recovery.

“With an increase in resources to the agriculture sector, DARD is focusing on export-orientated programmes to capitalise on Vanuatu’s comparative advantage.”

Director of agriculture, Antoine Ravo told about 40 investors from New Caledonia of a number of projects underway in the department.

One of the initiatives is the setting up of the Vanuatu Farmers Associations (VFA) to facilitate and assist farmers to access market information, provide logistical support, coordinate farmer activities in order to improve, strengthen and sustain the supply side and also to provide support to farmers’ organisations to increase production.

Ravo said seed and machinery centres for mass production of agriculture have been established.