Fiji has designated $75,000 to buy potato seeds in a bid to provide residents with locally sourced spuds.

Cultivation of the seeds, which arrived from New Zealand and are of the Red Rascal variety, is scheduled to start next month.

Currently the government pays $19 million to import potatoes.

Acting senior agriculture officer, Viliame Mainawalala, said: “The officials that have been working on the programme are from the Extension, Research and Bio-Security Divisions of the Agriculture Department and they are ensuring the smooth process of the various planting programmes for the areas that will be cultivating potato.”