The Pacific Horticultural and Agricultural Market Access Plus (PHAMA Plus) program, funded by Australia and New Zealand, proudly sponsored the Agribusiness Innovation Award at the 2024 Prime Ministers International Business Awards.

The award celebrates the outstanding efforts of those in Fiji’s agribusiness sector who are driving positive change through new technologies, sustainable practices and inclusive business models.

PHAMA Plus is pleased to congratulate this year’s winner Atish Prasad, owner of Road King Farms.

The award honours Mr Prasad’s dedication to improving the local agricultural industry on Taveuni, highlighting his efforts to build cutting-edge processing and cold storage facilities on the island that benefit local farmers.

Mr Prasad’s investment in his company has revolutionised taro processing and export from Taveuni. The new infrastructure has reduced waste, improved quality and given farmers across the island better opportunities to sell more taro at higher prices.

Road King Farms’s success has also created new jobs, employing up to 70 people, 90% of whom are women.

PHAMA Plus Country Manager Fiji, Navitalai Tuivuniwai says, “In just two years, Road King Farms has built a successful export business and redefined what’s possible in the root crops sector. This recognition highlights their exceptional drive, vision and hard work. We’re excited to see the continued impact they’ll make on Fiji’s agricultural industry.”

The PHAMA Plus program currently works in nine Pacific countries (Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Niue, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu).

PHAMA Plus blends a range of approaches to support locally-led systemic change in agricultural export markets, with the goal of delivering inclusive economic growth and improved livelihoods for Pacific people. The program works through interventions and other initiatives with public sector, private sector and civil society partners to enable supply-side innovation for productivity and profitability gains, grow export performance, and support complementary factors related to social inclusion and environment and climate resilience. Central to the program design is the importance of collaboration.

The current Phase II of the program runs for four years from July 2022 to June 2026.

• Through PHAMA Plus partnerships to date, 8540 households have increased their incomes by a total of AUD12.7 million.
• The benefitting households comprised 30,634 individuals of which 17,350 are men, 12,547 women and 740 people with disability. Among the individuals, 7,508 were youth.
• Additional value has been leveraged through partner co-investments, which now amount to AUD3.24 million.

ENDS

For more information, please contact Country Manager – Fiji, Navitalai Tuivuniwai at n.tuivuniwai@phamaplus.com.au