Budget 2025-2026

Residents of Nakasi are urging the government to extend the operating hours of the Nakasi Health Centre to 24/7, so they don’t have to travel to CWM Hospital.

This concern was raised during a budget consultation with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, Professor Biman Prasad, held in Davuilevu, Nakasi.

A resident also raised his frustration over the misuse of ambulance services, claiming that the ambulance is hardly seen parked at the Centre for more than two and a half hours a day.

He stressed the importance of having an ambulance on standby as emergencies such as heart attacks can occur at any time.

We have sent questions to the Ministry of Health.

Calls are being made to allow schools run by faith-based organisations to charge admission and enrolment fees to help maintain the schools, and for the Government to increase the Free Education Grant for primary and secondary students, as it is currently insufficient to cover infrastructural development, capital works, and refurbishment.

While speaking during a public consultation on the Education Act 1966 at the Fiji National University, a representative of the Indian Association of Fiji and lecturer in Education at FNU says they would be happy if the grant for the primary school goes up to $250 per child and a different amount for different levels for secondary school students.

She also says the Indian Association of Fiji, which owns three schools, finds that there is a discrepancy in the salaries of head teachers and principals.

The representative says primary schools are more holistic, with children at formative ages and greater responsibilities for the head teacher; however, when salaries are compared, head teachers are paid significantly less.

She further says the quality of education can only increase if the quality of teachers improve and there is a need for the aptitude test for English to continue as the medium of instruction in all schools is English.

She also says the school management, especially in faith-based schools, be given more authority in decision-making and financial matters as they are not getting as much money from the government.

The representative also says school managers should receive allowances to acknowledge their voluntary service and help them in their transport needs.

She also submitted a proposal for the enforcement of the Teacher Protection Policy.

The Ministry for Education is looking forward to a positive budget for the retention of teachers and to continue the social assistance to students to allow them to attend school.

Minister for Education Aseri Radrodro says they are also hoping to see the infrastructure development of schools, which they are earmarking to undertake.

Radrodro says they are hoping that the processes would improve in terms of forwarding projects to the contractors.

The Minister adds that they need to first check the conduct of repairs and maintenance of schools.

Radrodro says they also hope that the new budget will assist in continuing the TVET programs for schools.

The 2025/2026 National Budget will be announced on the 27th of this month.

As we get ready for the 2025/2026 National Budget announcement at the end of this month, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, Professor Prasad says when addressing the cost of living, both taxation and income must be considered.

Professor Prasad has told fijivillage News that the focus should not only be on the government’s support through tax relief, but also on how income levels can be raised.

When asked about public expectations for the upcoming budget, he stresses the 2025–2026 National Budget will focus on continuing some of the strong social policies introduced in the 2023–2024 and 2024–2025 budgets.

Professor Prasad adds they have 22 items that have zero VAT, increased cane prices, increased civil servants’ pay, and raised the minimum wage.

The 22 items on zero VAT include flour, rice, sugar, canned fish, cooking oil, potatoes, onions, garlic, baby milk, powdered milk, liquid milk, dhal, tea, salt, soap, soap powder, toilet paper, sanitary pads, toothpaste, kerosene, cooking gas and prescribed medicines.

The Deputy Prime Minister also says he has no comments on the Commission of Inquiry report on Barbara Malimali’s appointment as FICAC Commissioner, as he is currently focused on the delivery of the budget.

The 2025–2026 National Budget address will be delivered by Professor Prasad in Parliament on the 27th of this month.

A Lautoka farmer is requesting the government to allocate specific funding for the construction of boreholes in the Viseisei area as part of the upcoming 2025–2026 National Budget.

Speaking to fijivillage News, Shalendra Raj is currently transporting water from Saweni to Viseisei.

He emphasised the potential of agriculture, saying that under every lump of soil lies money.

He explained that land holds great value and opportunity, but for this potential to be realised, people need proper support and assistance from the government, which includes access to resources such as seeds, tools, training, and financial aid.

Raj says he purchased his farm in Viseisei, Lautoka four years ago, and at the time, it was nothing more than a bare and unused piece of land.

He says he took it upon himself to develop it into a productive agricultural plot entirely on his own, without receiving any financial or technical support from the government.

The Lautoka farmer says he is hopeful that the government will introduce more grants in the upcoming National Budget, specifically aimed at supporting sugarcane farmers.

He believes such grants would provide much-needed financial relief to farmers who are facing rising production costs, unpredictable weather conditions, and market uncertainties.

Raj explains that building a borehole is a costly undertaking, often beyond the financial means of small-scale farmers like himself, and that despite his efforts to manage his farm, the lack of a reliable water source remains a major challenge, especially during dry spells when crops require consistent irrigation.

The Saweni resident believes that having better access to water through boreholes would significantly benefit farmers like himself by improving irrigation and supporting agricultural activities, which are vital for the community’s livelihood and development.

He explains that he is not seeking free financial aid or handouts but rather support through accessible loan schemes that farmers can apply for in order to invest in essential agricultural infrastructure, with the understanding that the borrowed money would be repaid gradually over time.

The Lautoka farmer believes this approach is more sustainable, as it encourages the responsible use of funds and allows the government to recycle the money by lending it to other farmers in the future, creating a continuous cycle of support within the farming community.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, Professor Biman Prasad will deliver the 2025/2026 National Budget address on the 27th of this month.

The President of the Fiji Women’s Mushroom Association and a successful dairy and mushroom farmer from Naitasiri, Seruwaia Kabukabu, is urging the government to offer financial assistance for farmer growth, sustainability, and training in mushroom farming which will lower the importation of mushrooms.

Kabukabu says it is difficult to keep the farm sustainable because the weather is not really helping them.

She says farmers had to contend with soaring production costs and worsening weather that prevents them in their collection efforts.

According to her, Fiji imports 124 metric tonnes of mushrooms per year, worth $0.9 million.

She says there is an existing demand for mushrooms within the local markets, namely restaurants, supermarkets, and hotels within the tourism sector.

She adds fresh mushrooms are sold for $12.00 and $25.00 per kilogram.

Kabukabu urges the government to support local mushroom farmers and this will be favourable for our local producers.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, Professor Biman Prasad will deliver the 2025/2026 National Budget address on the 27th of this month.

Our national budget must be founded on two core principles – transparency and stability. There will be no hidden messages; there are no hidden resources. You must know and be able to see where we are on the fiscal recovery pathway. You must be able to see that all our policies and programs are as transparently costed as possible. Trust flows from that.

That is the message from Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, Professor Biman Prasad during the Annual Congress of the Fiji Institute of Chartered Accountants in Nadi. He says all their programmes arise from the deep conversations with citizens, businesses and communities.

Professor Prasad says there will be no stop and re-start measures, there will be no knee jerk investment measures, and their responses present what they think is the right balance between revenue, expenditure and their direction of travel in the difficult context.

He stresses that at the heart of the budget this year, as in the last will be investments that demonstrate their fundamental commitment to all the regional institutions, to our regional architecture.

Professor Prasad says the Blue Pacific region with its market size of nearly 20 million people combined offers a fantastic potential for growth and opportunity.

He says this is why Deputy Prime Minister, Manoa Kamikamica led trade missions to Tonga and to PNG recently.

Professor Prasad also invites and welcomes these countries to bring their trade missions to Fiji.

The Deputy Prime Minister says the growth of a Pacific centred economy will depend in part on how speedily we make progress on that.

He adds there is no reason why Solomon Islands logs cannot be processed in Fiji rather than in distant Asia.

Professor Prasad says when we pool our talent, financial and human resources as well as the combined market power, we will be able to grow whole new industries that are simply not possible at national levels.

He says we are beginning to see regional health facilities emerge – not because of deliberate Government policies but because health providers and entrepreneurs are solving a problem – of Pacific islanders being unable to afford specialist health care in Australia, New Zealand and elsewhere.

He adds a more regional approach to tertiary and specialist healthcare is such a win win zone for our region.

Professor Prasad says we need to build a fully integrated regional economy in which talent flows within the region – from Tonga to Fiji – from Fiji to PNG – from PNG to Solomon Islands.

He also says imagine if our importers were bulk-purchasing Panadol for the whole region – rather than the current practice of small importers buying small quantities for small markets.

Professor Prasad says imagine if as group of countries could secure better trade deals with other large Asian markets.

He says the benefits will flow.

The Sugar Cane Growers Council is calling for a higher operational budget and additional subsidies in the upcoming 2025–2026 National Budget, saying the current allocation is not enough to meet growing demands.

The Council’s CEO, Vimal Dutt says that while they received $800,000 for their operational costs and $200,000 earmarked specifically for the Sugar Cane Growers Council elections, this amount is insufficient to keep up with rising operational costs.

He says this is largely due to expanded responsibilities and the need for councillors in each sector, which will significantly increase administrative and logistical expenses.

Dutt says the government offers assistance in the form of farm input support — including fertilisers, weedicides, and harvesting operations — particularly for manual harvesting.

He adds that farmers benefit from subsidies such as the cane cartage subsidy from Penang to Rarawai Mill, and that in the upcoming budget, they are also hoping for subsidies to support cane health and cane lorry operators in remote areas.

The CEO says the sugarcane industry itself continues to face major challenges, explaining that sugar prices are influenced by global markets.

He notes that this year, sugar prices are slightly lower compared to last year, but there remains optimism in the sector — largely due to the government’s continued support and financial guarantees.

this year.

The CEO says that fewer farmers are growing sugarcane, as some are switching to other crops, however, fully replacing sugarcane is still difficult, and costs are going up because of less labour, high transport costs, and climate problems.

Dutt also mentions that the Council has an interest in crop insurance and is currently in its fourth year of piloting parametric insurance with support from the UNDP.

He says this scheme covers around 10,000 registered farmers, offering compensation in the event of natural disasters, and is a key area for future development.

Dutt adds that, with the harvesting season beginning this month, their teams are already on the ground forming harvesting groups with the Fiji Sugar Corporation.

He says the Council remains hopeful for a productive season and is urging farmers to continue with new planting.

That is the request from Isireli Mokunitulevu, a 65-year-old man who owns 5 acres of land in the Davuilevu Farm Road area.

He shares the last government promised farmers road access in his area and the Ministry of Agriculture assistance in clearing the farms with diggers.

He says most of the farmers find it challenging in the development of their farms to transport crops from the farm to their homes with no road access, and the weather conditions make it more unbearable.

He says that he has completed the paperwork required from the Ministry and written back to the Ministry of Agriculture,.

There has been no response.

Mokunitulevu has paid for three company diggers with a charge of $80 per hour to clear up his farm.

Isireli is a Uvi and Dalo farmer and has a farmhouse with more than 9 pigs.

He is calling on the government to provide the road to the farm and assistance.

The Health Ministry is hoping to receive more funding to battle the increase in HIV cases in the upcoming budget.

Minister for Health Dr Ratu Atonio Lalabalavu says the Ministry received $6 million for this financial year and hopes to receive more to cater for their HIV programs.

The Minister also highlighted they hope for more funding to strengthen primary health care and more allocations for outreach capabilities.

Dr Lalabalavu says they will also be making a submission for new equipment, medications, and infrastructure upgrades.

Meanwhile, the Ministry has revealed that 1,583 cases of HIV was recorded between January and December 2024 - and 90.3 percent of this are iTaukei.

This is equivalent to 1,430 individuals.

8.4 percent of the cases were among Fijians of Indian descent, and 1.3 percent were from other ethnic groups.

The 2025/2026 National Budget will be announced on the 27th of this month.