Minister for Agriculture Doctor Mahendra Reddy says the ministry is currently in the process of breeding cows that would yield 25 litres of milk per day compared to the cows that currently yield 5 litres of milk per day.
Doctor Reddy has made this comment in parliament after SODELPA MP Adi Litia Qionibaravi questioned him on the shortage of milk in June and if the ministry has a dairy industry development plan.
Doctor Reddy says that due to the reform in Fiji Dairy Limited the Western Division has begun to provide 40% of milk produced in the country per day.
He also says the government is investing in new technology for farmers to manage their farm so that milk production could increase.
National Federation Party MP Pio Tikoduadua has also pointed out that it took the New Zealand government 40 years to eradicate TB and brucellosis in cattle and asked how long it would take Fiji.
The Minister responded that the ministry is investing in embryo transfer techniques to produce cattle that will be resistant to these diseases as well as be resilient to heat.
He says these cattle would be distributed to farms in two years to be cross‑bred with the local heard of cattle.
He says the Fijian government has just begun its fight to eradicate these diseases.
Meanwhile Doctor Reddy says his ministry is well established to deal with the impact of adverse weather conditions on the livestock sector.
He says the ministry is developing livestock that will be resilient to the effects of heat due to climate change.
Reddy says heat has reduced production of milk in cows by 20% while their food consumption has decreased by 15%.
He says the ministry has introduced a genetic conservation program that allows local heat resistant livestock such as pigs and poultry to be cross bred with imported livestock to increase yield.
He added that the ministry is also working with the Chinese government to produce better pasture for local cattle.
He says the Chinese Government has provided deep rooted pasture that are high in protein and will yield more pasture.
Opposition member of Parliament Inosi Kudrani asked the minister how the agricultural sector has benefitted from the memorandum of understanding that was signed between Fiji and Israel.
Reddy says for the first time 9 second year Fiji National University Agriculture students are in Israel to learn from their agricultural sector.
He says the students arrived in Israel on Saturday and will be stationed in various agricultural high‑tech farms.He says this program is completely funded by the Israeli government.
SODELPA MP Niko Nawaikula asked the minister on how his ministry will increase productivity levels in the agricultural sector.
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