Fiji’s tourism sector urged to source locally grown produce and refrain from continued importation of fruits and vegetables

Resorts and hotels have been urged to source locally grown fresh produce to support the agriculture sector and refrain from continued importation of fruits and vegetables.

Minister for Agriculture, Dr Mahendra Reddy says it is anticipated the tourism sector would return to some sense of normalcy later this year and this will offer opportunities for the tourism industry to source fresh produce locally.

Dr. Reddy says people in Australia, New Zealand, and the US look forward to buying Fijian produce which gives no reason for our hotel sector to claim that our produce is of poor quality.

He says we cannot afford to lose foreign exchange through the importation of fresh produce and they want to ensure that our farmers get the opportunity to fulfill the demand in the tourism sector.

Reddy says all actors within the supply chain have been urged to ensure fresh produce is available for all Fijians, and that it meets the demands from all sectors, particularly the hotel industry and export markets.

The senior executives of the Ministry will meet with stakeholders of the tourism industry to discuss ways to help strengthen linkages and create closer synergies between the tourism and agriculture sectors.