By JOSEPHINE NAVULA
Stakeholders of Agricultural sectors gathered in large numbers to witness the launch a book titled as “Growing Vegetable seedlings in Fiji- A practical guide for farmers & Nurserymen” in Votualevu, Nadi, yesterday.
Speaking at the ceremony, Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), Land Resource development Director, Josua Wainiqolo highlighted on how they have recovered from natural disasters and how they made rehabilitation efforts so difficult to sustain.
“We were developing partners, donor-agencies and the government have engaged during natural disaster and often initial rehabilitation programme were disrupted and with little success.”
“The readiness of the rehabilitation programme to meet the urgency of these circumstances has always been a huge set back,” he said.
Wainiqolo said the decision to venture into a nursery seedling enterprise will hopefully alleviate such setbacks.
Also at the ceremony, Disaster Mitigation Containers were launched to help in rehabilitation of the plants.
“The addition of disaster mitigation container to store seedlings in the event of cyclones or floods has added another dimension to the project added another dimension to the project,” he said.
SPC and AusAid have amicably engaged in many developing projects as such.
The manual was launched by Acting Australian High Commissioner His Excellency Glenn Miles. Veteran agricultural sector leader and owner of Bula Agro Enterprises Sant Kumar has also played a major role in the successful launch of the manual and played a key role in the installation of disaster mitigation containers which save seedlings during natural disasters around the country.