Major developments are needed to boost the dairy industry in Fiji as milk imports continue to spike while domestic production plunges to an all-time low, according to recent government reports.       

The reports highlight that since 2004, milk imports have increased from US$39.4 million to US$62.5 million in 2008 while production at Rewa dairy decreased from 11.77 million liters to 10.33 million liters as the number of registered farmers decreased.

To address this issue, urgent steps will be taken to increase milk production in Fiji, Prime Minister Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama said.

The national consumption of milk in the country averages 80 million litres per year; only 20 million litres are produced domestically from both commercial and informal sectors. Rewa Cooperative Dairy Company (RCDC), the only local processor, has the capacity to process 40 million litres of milk annually but in recent years, its production has slumped.

Key problems faced by Fijian dairy farmers include insufficient government subsidy, the expiration of land leases, inconsistent feed supplies from the RCDC and farm water supply problem, according to an earlier research.