SUVA, July 19 (Xinhua) -- The Fijian government on Thursday urged farmers to form cooperatives to increase production and reduce import bills.

Officiating at the ground breaking ceremony of the Koronivia Vegetable Farmers' Cooperative (KVFC) on Thursday, Fijian Minister for Industry, Trade, Tourism, Lands and Mineral Resources, Faiyaz Koya called on vegetable farmers to form cooperatives.

Koya said cooperative businesses played a very important role in fostering inclusive growth in farming communities like Koronivia.

"The grant funding provided will enable KVFC to plant more varieties of vegetable seedlings that will provide higher yield and grow at a faster rate. In doing so, KVFC is promoting the Fijian government's initiative to reduce food import bill, promoting healthy living and strengthening linkages to the tourism sector," Koya said.

He said the event is an example of the Fijian government's continued investment in its own people.

The Fijian government assisted the KVFC in purchasing a brand new tractor that will now ease the burden of farming for Cooperative members.

Koya has assured the farmers that the government will continue to develop and implement the policies to facilitate the growth of micro, small and medium enterprises in the country.

The cooperative was formed in 2010.

Cooperative president Paras Ram expressed his gratitude to the government for the timely assistance.

"We work according to our five-year development plan to achieve our goals. With this new tractor, we will be able to cater for the increasing demand of vegetables in the central division," Ram said.

Fiji's import bill was recorded at 386.6 million Fijian dollars (about 183.9 million U.S. dollars) for the month of February this year, said the Fiji Bureau of Statistics in its recent release of the international merchandise trade statistics.