North’s Farm Road Demand Outpaces Funding

Farmers in Fiji's North are struggling with poor road access, which continues to hinder daily operations and increase the cost of farming. Despite a doubling of government funding for rural roads to $4 million this financial year, demand across the three provinces of Vanua Levu, including Taveuni, still outpaces available resources.

Agriculture Minister Tomasi Tunabuna acknowledged the increased allocation but cautioned that not all requests for rural and farm road improvements can be met immediately. He cited insufficient funding as one challenge, noting that the $4 million must be shared across the provinces. Furthermore, a shortage of machinery and contractors in the North is slowing down the delivery of much-needed road projects.

While the government has acquired additional machinery to boost road construction capacity, farmers like those in Wailevu are still waiting for improvements to their farm access roads. They emphasize that reliable roads are crucial for transporting crops to market. The ongoing delays not only increase expenses but also make farming more difficult. Farmers are hopeful that the increased funding, combined with better access to equipment and contractors, will finally accelerate long-awaited upgrades and boost agricultural production.

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The funding is not always sufficient to meet all the rural and farm road needs here in the North. Last year, we received about two million dollars, and this financial year we have been allocated four million dollars, which needs to be shared across the three provinces, including Taveuni.