Minister for Youth and Sports Parveen Bala has encouraged youth groups to cultivate unused land for agriculture purposes.
Speaking at the official handover ceremony for the Nasau Youth Club Farming Initiative in Nakabuta Village in Nadroga, Bala acknowledged the landowners for giving their land to youth groups for agriculture and commercial purposes.
Bala says the Ministry has been exploring the possibility of youth clubs being given consent by landowners to utilise the land for such farming activities.
He says this initiative is now turning into a reality as they have various landowning units providing consent to youth clubs to utilise their land for farming.
He further says before receiving this assistance, he was told that these youth groups had been involved in various community activities such as providing services to the elderly, to their church members, participating in environmental clean-up activities, sports, farming and selling their farm produce to meet family needs.
Bala adds these members serve as positive role models, not only to their peers but to their families, community and their country.
The Minister highlighted that to help young Fijians recover from the COVID-19 crisis and ensure that no one is left behind, their ministry through the Youth Farm Initiative is driving youths to cultivate and utilise the land for agriculture purposes.
Three Youth Clubs are included in the Nasau Youth Club Farming Initiative that includes Nakabuta Youth Club, Nakalavo Youth Club and the Naduri Youth Club.
These clubs received farming tools and equipment such as knapsack sprayers, files, shylon shades for a greenhouse and vegetable seedlings and fertilizers.
