Shania Shayal Prasad 
Minister for Agriculture and Waterways Vatimi Rayalu
Minister for Agriculture and Waterways Vatimi Rayalu will be making submissions for an increase in their budget for the new fiscal year, amounting to $250 million to support critical sectors.
The proposed budget increase comes after a modest rise in the current 2024-2025 budget, which stands at $101.2 million, an increase of $6 million from the previous year.
Rayalu stresses that more funding is necessary to address ongoing challenges and projects in the agriculture and waterways sectors.
He says they need to repair the waterways infrastructure and add value to agricultural commodities.
“I want to push agriculture processing to another level. Whether it be through SMEs or through private companies or those that are already doing it, those that are thinking of doing it.”
Rayalu is confident that the Ministry of Finance will support their budget submission, given the importance of these investments to the sector.
