Fiji Development Bank and Stakeholders Band Together

Suva, Fiji. The Fiji Development Bank (FDB) continues to break barriers in reaching out to Fiji’s agricultural sectors. This was evidenced by its joint partner outreach activity in conjunction withrespective stakeholders in Welagi Village, Taveuni.

The collective pursuit did not only allow FDB to hold its distinct Financial Literacy session and Farming Loan Product Awareness for Dalo and Kava farmers. It also served as an opportunity for its stakeholders to engage and network with participants.

Stakeholders present included the Ministry of Agriculture, TeiTei Taveuni, the Police Department, and a local exporter (Road King Farms). Teitei Taveuni is a grassroots-led farmer organization promoting sustainable agriculture in Taveuni.

In total, 26 participants were present at the session. The day kick-started with FDB and its stakeholders holding joint presentations on dalo production strategies, effective usage of soil and tactics on sustainable practices. Subsequently, FDB discussed its financial loan products.

Thereafter, the Ministry of Agriculture conducted a group activity for applicable farm soil management. Handing the baton back to FDB, the discussions then focused on financial loans for women entrepreneurs before shifting to Financial Literacy.

FDB CEO, Mr. Saud Minam, expressed his appreciation to its stakeholders for their proactiveness in collaborating with the Bank to deliver such critical and beneficial information sessions.

“One of FDB’s core values is collaboration where the Bank always works as one team and communicates one message, ‘collaboration’, for the development of Fiji and its people. By partnering with our key stakeholders, we’re amplifying the notion that collaboration is the only way to go if you wish to yield consistent and accumulative results for the good of the Fijian economy. Together, everyone achieves more.”

“Taveuni, commonly regarded as the ‘Garden Island of Fiji’, is certainly a garden of golden opportunities. For these 26 farmers of Welagi, this means a hundredfold of opportunities for both their families and for their employees,” he said.

To conclude the day, a Q&A session was held where mainly enquiries regarding dalo loans were received. The Taveuni farmers were interested in cluster loans with security being provided via Fijian Holdings Limited (FHL) unit shares. Many of the young farmers are currently engaged with savings through unit shares.

This joint partner outreach activity marked the 6th such collaboration for the FDB Taveuni branch and its stakeholders.