The ‘2024 Pacific Agri-Innovate Business Plan Competition’ was officially launched in Suva yesterday. This initiative aims to promote innovation and entrepreneurship within the micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) sector, particularly focusing on agriculture.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade, Co-operatives, SMEs, and Communications Manoa Kamikamica highlighted that the competition represents a critical step for Fiji in advancing innovation, resilience, and supporting MSMEs in the agricultural field, ultimately to enhance economic growth.
“Through this competition, we aim to equip participants with the resources, mentorship, and exposure needed to transform your innovative ideas into practical, sustainable agricultural practices,” Mr. Kamikamica stated during the event.
He also noted that the competition offers MSME participants a chance to establish the first agri-business incubation centre, which would foster, support, and accelerate agricultural startups and innovations in the country.
Joann Young, Assistant Representative of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations in Fiji, remarked that this launch symbolizes the united efforts of FAO, the Trade Ministry, and the Ministry of Agriculture in finding ways to bolster agribusiness in Fiji. “By offering the essential resources, infrastructure, and expertise, we can cultivate a more vibrant ecosystem for agricultural innovation and entrepreneurship that benefits all stakeholders involved,” she expressed.
The Pacific Agri-Innovate Competition is part of the Sustainable Transformation of Domestic Agrifood Systems in Fiji, Samoa, and the Solomon Islands (STODAS) project, which seeks to encourage rural agribusiness development through business incubation and technology commercialization.
Ramesh Chand, general manager of Business Assistance Fiji, explained that the goal is to identify, nurture, and highlight innovative agribusinesses with significant growth potential in the Pacific. The competition is being launched simultaneously in Samoa and the Solomon Islands and will address various areas, including post-harvest and food technology, value chain development, farm retail, sustainable agriculture, farm mechanization, and supply chain management.
The winner of the competition will receive $1,000 USD (equivalent to $2,216 FJD) along with access to mentoring and advanced incubation support. Additionally, a competition website has been launched to provide further information.