Rayalu assures assistance for flood affected farmers

As hundreds of farms have been affected by floods in the past few weeks, the Minister for Agriculture, Vatimi Rayalu, has assured farmers that assistance will be provided.

This comes as farmers in Nabitu, Sigatoka have requested for seeds as about 100 farms have been destroyed.

While responding to questions from fijivillage News, Rayalu says they have no choice but to assist.

Rayalu says they had sent out messages well before the rainy season started to advise farmers to be prepared.

He also says that they had given advisories to livestock farmers to move their livestock to higher ground, and to crop farmers, to start harvesting crops that are ready to be harvested so that floods do not catch them off guard.

Nabitu Advisory Councillor Abhay Sharma told fijivillage News that farmers are requesting the government to provide some seeds to help them get back on their feet.

Sharma adds that farmers had planted some off-season vegetables, but they have all been washed away in the heavy rain and floods, and now they do not have any source of income.