Cocoa grower calls on MAL to visit Rural Famers

Cocoa grower calls on MAL to visit Rural Famers

By Jimmy Nolan

Local Cocoa farmers in Babanakira, West Guadalcanal have appealed to the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock to conduct regular field visits to provide skills training on how to improve the quality of their cocoa beans.

A local farmer, Peter Va’a told SIBC News that Babanakira produces large quantities of cocoa beans, and their main source of income is the sale of cocoa.

He said with the increase in the buying price of cocoa now, farmers are worried about pests, diseases, and post-harvest losses.

“We mostly dry our cocoa beans in the sun. We have no proper tools or shed dryers.”

“When the weather changes and it rains for a week or two, we fight to keep our beans dry and to meet quality standards,” Va’a said.

He added that changing climate patterns are also affecting their traditional sun-drying methods.

Mr Va’a also highlighted that providing awareness and training with the use of right proper tools will help rural cocoa farmers increase output productivity.

“We need training from agriculture officers in Honiara on how to maintain our cocoa trees and how to produce high-quality cocoa beans to meet market standards.”

“In the past, Agriculture field officers used to visit farmers in the rural areas, but today there is no such program here. I don’t understand the reasons,” he said.

He urged the Ministry to consider opening a local office or stationing officers closer to their area, so farmers do not have to travel to Honiara to seek such assistance, which is costly.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock is currently supporting rural cocoa and copra farmers through the Solomon Islands Agriculture and Rural Transformation (SIART) Project, a World Bank-funded initiative.

The project aims to boost agricultural production and improve market access for farmers in Guadalcanal, Malaita, and Makira/Ulawa provinces.

It is focused on strengthening agribusinesses, improving infrastructure, and providing extension services to support rural communities.

Shipping transport services have also been arranged to transport cocoa and copra from local farmers in the provinces.

SIBC News understands that South and West Guadalcanal have also been benefiting from this arrangement, whereby farmers were able to transport their cocoa products to Honiara through a timely and cost-effective manner.

[ENDS]

CATEGORIES
Share This