Yaqona farmers in Nasolo Village in the district of Nadi in Bua are thankful to the Government for their new farm road since they now don’t need to travel far to access the market for their produce.
For decades, farmers in the district of Nadi have struggled to transport their produce to market, often paying high costs for labourers to carry yaqona and other crops on horseback from isolated farms.
The newly commissioned Batinisala-i-Vanua Farm Road was commissioned by the Minister for Rural and Maritime Development and Disaster Management, Sakiasi Ditoka.
Nasolo Village headman Ifereimi Toa says the new infrastructure development had been long-time coming for their community because in the past, they had no choice but to hire labourers to carry their produce on horseback.
He says getting their yaqona to the market was a long and difficult struggle because their farms were hard to reach.
Toa says he has lived in the area for over 30 years, and never before has he witnessed development of this scale in Nasolo.
He adds that this road brings with it hope, opportunity, and a blessing for their people as they can just harvest, and the buyers can come to their farms to buy yaqona.
The Project was funded under the Ministry of Rural and Maritime Development and Disaster Management’s Rural Outer Island (ROI) Development Programme at a cost of more than $49,000.
Ditoka also commissioned the Nakorolevu Farm Road Phase 2 Project in the district of Wainunu, which is also funded under the Ministry’s ROI Programme.
The project was completed at a cost of more than $41,000.
This development will benefit 10 farming households from the communities of Nakorolevu, Waidranudranu, and Quruquruvatu, enhancing their ability to get produce to market and boosting local farming activity.
