Australia will provide nearly nine million US dollars over four years to improve marketing opportunities and boost agribusiness in the Pacific.
The Pacific Agribusiness Research and Development Initiative aims to provide a platform for stronger economic growth in Pacific island countries.
The initiative aims to substantially improve the livelihoods of smallholder farmers in Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and Fiji, with expansion into Tonga, Samoa and Kiribati.
Australia's Parliamentary Secretary for International Development Assistance, Bob McMullan, made this announcement during the Pacific Conference on the Human Face of the Global Economic Crisis being held in Vanuatu.
He says the initiative makes it easier for farmers in the Pacific to get their products to markets, enabling them to competitive while ensuring their businesses are sustainable.
