Riya Mala 
[Source: Parliament of the Republic of Fiji/ Facebook]
Close to half of the loans allocated to agricultural Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises were directed toward sugarcane farmers with the aim of strengthening agricultural infrastructure and boosting farmers’ livelihoods.
However, due to ongoing challenges in the sugar industry, the MSME Council is pushing for broader financial support beyond sugarcane.
Council Chair Watisoni Nata highlighted this while presenting the MSME Council’s submission to the Standing Committee on Economic Affairs on the Fiji Development Bank’s 2022 and 2023 Annual Reports.
“The legislative barriers and factors surrounding the ease of doing business also need to be addressed to improve the industry’s overall growth. We will focus a bit on that when we get to that discussion.”
He adds that actions need to be taken to introduce diversification incentives to expand MSMEs in organic farming, fisheries, and agritech.
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