Farmers are not utilizing their nearest agricultural offices for support, according to Minister for Agriculture Vatimi Rayalu. He expressed this concern to the media, identifying it as a growing challenge for the ministry. Many farmers seem to expect ministry officers to make direct visits rather than traveling to their offices.
“We are one of the ministries that has an office in almost every province,” Mr. Rayalu stated. “Unfortunately, most of the public believe that agricultural officers must come to them.” He pointed out the impracticality of having one officer cover an entire province due to limited resources.
“In every location I visit, whether it’s a village or a province, I ask if they have accessed their agriculture office to learn about the assistance available through the Ministry of Agriculture, and most of the time, the answer is no,” he noted. The minister expressed his frustration that many villagers remain unaware of the services the ministry offers.
Supporting his comments, permanent secretary Andrew Tukana acknowledged the staffing and logistical challenges faced by the ministry. “There are processes within the government,” Mr. Tukana explained. “We cannot simply add more staff without an established position.”
He mentioned that the staff-to-population ratio in certain areas presents difficulties. While efforts are underway to resolve these issues, government procedures must be adhered to in order to create new positions. “We need to operate within the government’s processes, such as requesting approval from the Ministry of Civil Service to establish new positions,” he said. “We recognize these limitations and are working to address them as soon as possible.”