The first-ever ‘2024 Pacific Agri-Innovate Business Plan Competition’ was inaugurated in Suva yesterday. This initiative aims to promote innovation and entrepreneurship among micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in the agricultural sector.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade, Co-operatives, SMEs, and Communications, Manoa Kamikamica, stated that the competition represents a crucial step for Fiji in fostering innovation, resilience, and the growth of MSMEs within agriculture, ultimately contributing to economic development. He emphasized that the competition is designed to equip participants with the necessary resources, mentorship, and exposure to transform their innovative concepts into effective and sustainable agricultural practices.
Additionally, the competition will allow MSME participants to establish the first-ever agri-business incubation center, which will nurture and accelerate agricultural startups and innovations in the country. Joann Young, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations Assistant Representative to Fiji, praised the launch as indicative of the collaborative efforts between FAO, the Trade Ministry, and the Ministry of Agriculture in supporting agribusiness in Fiji. She noted that by providing essential resources, infrastructure, and expert guidance, they aim to cultivate a vibrant ecosystem for agricultural innovation and entrepreneurship that benefits all involved.
The Pacific Agri-Innovate competition is part of the Sustainable Transformation of Domestic Agrifood Systems in Fiji, Samoa, and Solomon Islands (STODAS) project, which focuses on enhancing rural agribusiness development through business incubation and technology commercialization. Ramesh Chand, general manager of Business Assistance Fiji, mentioned that the competition seeks to identify, nurture, and showcase innovative agribusiness ventures with significant growth potential across the Pacific.
The competition simultaneously launched in Samoa and the Solomon Islands, with a focus on areas such as post-harvest and food technology, value chain optimization, farm retail, sustainable agriculture, farm mechanization, and supply chain management. The winner will receive $1,000 USD (approximately $2,216 FJD) along with access to mentorship and advanced incubation support. A dedicated competition website has also been launched.