• Union Minister for Agriculture Narendra Singh Tomar and Fiji’s Minister of Agriculture, Waterways & Environment Mahendra Reddy signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for cooperation in the field of Agriculture and allied sectors between India and Fiji.

• The MoU will remain valid for a period of five years.

• Tomar said that India has been able to distribute about 7 tonnes of seeds of 14 varieties of fruits and vegetables as a grant to Fiji for the livelihood restoration of communities affected by Cyclone Yasa.

The MoU provides for cooperation in the fields of:

• Dairy and rice industry development

• Root crop diversification

• Water resources management

• Coconut industry development

• Food processing industry development

• Agriculture mechanisation

• Horticulture industry development

• Agri research

• Animal husbandry

• Pest and disease

• Value addition and marketing

• Post-harvest and milling

• Breeding and agronomy.

• The ministry of agriculture and farmers’ welfare of India and the ministry of agriculture of Fiji will be the executing agencies from respective sides.

• Under the MoU, a Joint Working Group will be established to set down procedures and plan programmes of cooperation towards achieving its aims.

• The Working Group will hold its meetings alternatively in India and Fiji once every two years.

Fiji

Fiji is a group of islands located in the South Pacific Ocean.

The archipelago consists of a group of more than 330 islands, of which about one hundred are inhabited. The two major islands are Viti Levu and Vanua Levu. 

Highest point is an extinct volcano known as Mount Tomanivi (1,324 m) on Viti Levu. 

Fiji became independent in 1970 after nearly a century as a British colony.

Fiji has a population of about 870,000 people. Almost three-quarters of the population live on the island of Viti Levu where also the country’s capital Suva is located.

India-Fiji relations

• Indian labourers were brought to Fiji in 1879 under indenture system to work on sugarcane plantations. Between 1879 and 1916 over 60,000  Indians were brought to Fiji. Beginning with the early 20th century, Indian traders and others also started arriving in Fiji. In 1920, the indenture system was abolished.

• India had a Commissioner in Fiji since 1948 who was later upgraded to High Commissioner after the country’s independence in 1970.

• The visit by PM Narendra Modi to Fiji on November 19, 2014 was a watershed moment not only for India-Fiji relations but also for India’s relations with all the Pacific Island Countries. 

• During the visit three MoUs were signed with Fiji: 

1) MoU for Extending a Line of Credit for Establishing a Co-Generation Plant in Fiji.

2) MoU on Cooperation in the field of training of diplomats.

3) MoU on the Earmarking of Land for their Diplomatic Missions in the respective Capitals.

• Fiji became one of the founding members of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) – a joint initiative of the governments of India and France to promote solar energy.

• India is a committed development partner of Fiji. Indian assistance extends to sectors such as capacity building through human resource development and training under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) programmes. 

• The government of India approved $850,000 funding for Fiji’s project proposal ‘Developing Climate Disaster Risk Financing Framework & Parametric Insurance’ on May 19, 2020, through India-UNDPF (UN Development Partnership Fund), managed by UN Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC).

• The Project aims to alleviate economic damage caused by climate & extreme weather events through financing instruments for Fijians.

• India also provides humanitarian and disaster relief assistance from time to time whenever the need arises.

• Fiji was hit by a Category 5 Tropical Cyclone Yasa in December 2020, which caused extensive damage and destruction of critical infrastructure. The first consignment of relief materials from India for the cyclone-affected people reached Fiji in the first week of January 2021.

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