FIJI'S 2020 Agriculture Sector Policy Agenda has mapped out guidelines for the cultivation of three new variety of fruits.
Minister for Agriculture Inia Seruiratu said this was part of the Fijian Government's commitment to develop its fruit industry.
"The Fiji 2020 Agriculture Sector Policy Agenda launched in 2014 clearly identifies the development and agro-processing of fruits such as Pineapple, Mango and Breadfruit," he said.
"The policy agenda also mentions the need for exploration of fruits such as Mangosteen, Rambutan and Durian for the niche tourism market.
"Production of fruits has a huge potential in this country and we have started to explore this opportunity with our counterparts."
Mr Seruiratu said developing new fruits variety was a new concept in the country as seen with the introduction of a new Guava variety last month.
"This is evident by the current release of a new variety of Guava which we have named 'Green Pearl' for commercial cultivation."
"This will be the first time for Fiji to start cultivating Guava as a commercial crop."
He said the International Symposium on Tropical Fruits (ISTF) in Nadi would assist Government in its efforts to develop the country's fruit industry and it's resiliency from the impacts of climate change.
"The International Symposium on Tropical Fruit (ISTF) 2017 theme 'Food Security amidst a Changing Climate: Towards a sustainable and resilient Tropical Fruits Industry' is ideal to be hosted in our country."
Source: fijitimes.com
