The Ministry of Agriculture and Waterways will conduct a feasibility study for the establishment of the Agricultural Research and Development Institute of Fiji (ARDIF).
Cabinet says the development of a productive agricultural sector in any country is based on an efficient and vibrant Research and Development programme that ensures food and nutrition security for its population.
It says historically, agricultural crop research and animal research were initiated by the Ministry to develop technologies to assist farmers who lack resources to conduct research to improve their productivity.
With a small island and developing agriculture sector such as Fiji, in comparison to bigger countries, cabinet says it is economically and technically beneficial to merge research efforts for both crops and livestock and administer these under the Agricultural Research and Development Institute of Fiji.
A task force will be formed within the Ministry to undertake the feasibility study.
The outcome of the feasibility study will be tabled in Cabinet once completed.
