Young men and women have been urged to take up agriculture as a profession.

Attorney-General and Minister for Economy Aiyaz Sayed Khaiyum made the comment at Navuso Agriculture Technical Institute where he officiated at the presentation of land titles to nine graduates.

“You can now use that lease to get a loan, as collateral,” he said. Mr Sayed-Khaiyum said farmers with land titles could now borrow from the Fiji Development Bank. “Borrow money for the right purpose, and apply that money for the right purpose,” he said.

He said there was a lot of money to be made in the agriculture sector, citing yaqona as Fiji’s largest export to the United States of America.

Nine graduates
Nine graduates of Navuso Agriculture Technical Institute (NATI) received their land leases yesterday where they are expected to develop commercial farms. Mr Sayed-Kaiyum said he had made an announcement on such a scheme some years ago, and was surprised to see a similar situation at Navuso Agriculture Technical Institute.

“Back in the day when I was in school, the teacher would tell us to work hard so that we don’t end up farmers,” he said. Farming at the time was looked down on, he said.Farming is today considered a highly regarded profession today, Mr Sayed-Khaiyum said. Navuso Agriculture Technical Institute head of school, Uraia Waibuta, said young men and women considered the agriculture as a last option.

Navuso was founded in 1923 on 920 acres of freehold head of institute, Mr Waibuta said.

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