Labasa , Fiji ? The honey industry ? estimated to be worth FJD3.5 million ? was predicted to become one of Fiji ? s big earners in the agriculture sector in years to come until Tropical Cyclone Winston made a landfall in the South Pacific Basin in February 2016 .
The disaster posed a major setback to the development of the Fijian honey sector . A survey carried out by the Ministry of Agriculture found that the majority of Fijian bee farms lost some of their hives during the cyclone , causing a sharp drop in honey production in 2016 .
One year after the destructive Winston , the honey industry is touted to make a sweet comeback . Lead beekeepers from Vanua Levu undertook a weeklong training on Feb . 20-24 in an effort to revive Fiji ? s honey industry , which was devastated by Tropical Cyclone Winston .
This training is one of the TC Winston recovery activities of the EU-funded Increasing Agricultural Commodities Trade ( IACT ) project , implemented by the Pacific Community ( SPC ). The IACT project provided approximately FJD 4 million in recovery support , mainly focused on rebuilding and strengthening key value chains in the agriculture and aquaculture sectors .
Sweet deal :
Fiji rest ores beehives , revives honey indust ry
The beekeeper training , facilitated by John Caldeira , president of the Fiji Beekeepers Association , sought to help beekeepers restore and enhance their beehives , which will increase honey production and improve quality of honey produced . The training focused on bee biology and sociology and provided hands-on advice on bee grafting techniques .
? There are great opportunities within the realm of disaster risk reduction that aim at improving livelihoods , food and nutrition security but also offering ample opportunities for market driven resilience and value chain enhancement ,? said Jan Helsen , director of SPC Land Resources Division .
" Through a range of different initiatives the European Union has been proud to play an important role in Fiji ' s recovery process following the destruction caused by TC Winston one year ago ,? said Christoph Wagner , head of the EU Delegation for the Pacific . ? This very practical training and the equipment provided to over 200 bee farms will help beekeepers get back on their feet . The newly acquired skills will assist the farmers to increase the volume and quality of their production , and therefore income and resilience ."
A survey carried out by the Ministry of Agriculture found that the majority of Fijian bee farms lost some of their hives during the cyclone , causing a sharp drop in honey production in 2016 .
? One of the major challenges to growing the honey industry , even before TC Winston , is the lack of technical knowledge and skills among our beekeepers . With this training , experienced beekeepers are taught the best methods of increasing the number of hives and how to maintain healthy bee colonies . The raining was necessary , not only for recovery , but also to build a resilient honey sector that would strengthen the supply chain ,? Caldeira said . ( SPC )
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skills that will translate directly towards employment in the area trained . The outcome is a vocation certification program that develops Palauan citizens for employment in the areas of the economy that demand technical skills .
In the end , the skilled workforce program develops skill for locals enhancing their employability while offering tax incentives for businesses to take a chance for hiring a local at higher wages to participate in local labor market .
Government employment is still the preferred choice for locals . It is stable and offers better salary , paid sick leave , a weekend off and pension . These incentives make it hard for the private businesses to compete with government for skilled workers . To make private employment more attractive , the government has increased the minimum wage by a dollar from $ 2.50 to $ 3.50 , in increments of $ 0.25 spread over the last four years .
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More incentives are being drawn up to drum up interest in the local labor force and encourage the educated and skilled Palauans abroad to return home . President Tommy E . Remengesau , for example , has introduced a bill to increase the minimum wage to $ 8.50 with an incremental increase of 50 cents per year for 10 years . Also a scheme to include the private sector employees to participate in the government pension plan is gaining traction with policymakers .
The young men and women of Palau in developing the national youth policy last year remarked that while Palau has made some forward progress by raising the minimum wage , there still is concern that Palau ' s minimum wage is inadequate for young people to support themselves and to support strong and independent families . They said programs that support young people as they transition from being a dependent in a family to becoming a head of their own household would go a long way to help Palau ' s young people transition to adulthood .
? While gains have been seen in both education and the educational outcomes of Palau ? s youth , there still is much that can be improved in the education sector . The country still has an unacceptably high number of young people who are not in education , employment or training . While some progress has been made in getting government agencies involved in youth development , very little has been done to bring the private sector on board ,? the young locals noted in putting forward the national youth policy .
They further said that improving the educational system needs to be a central focus of Palau ? s youth development strategy . Expanding and improving available training programs are imperative if Palau ? s young people are to be better prepared to enter the workforce and have the skills necessary to meet the needs of the local labor market .