Communities around the vicinity of hotels in Fiji will benefit from the new Agritourism Initiative

Communities around the vicinity of hotels in Fiji will benefit from the new Agritourism Initiative Our Community Program that was launched by the Ministry of Agriculture today.

Minister for Agriculture, Dr Mahendra Reddy says they are targeting a total of 30 farm groups with $3000 per group and also have a total budget of $90,000 for this program.

Dr Reddy says the program supports communities living within the vicinity of the hotels that have idle land to cultivate and supply fresh produce.

The Minister says each community group which consists of at least 5 households in a village or settlement, will be provided $600 per acre for a maximum of 5 acres to clear, prepare and cultivate the land with vegetables or root crops with the intention of supply 100% to their nearest hotels.

The Minister for Agriculture says the program is also meant to develop a safety net for food security for these communities around the hotel and create employment.