Minister MAL holds fruitful discussion with New Zealand High Commissioner, pledges support for Cocoa Development
Minister MAL holds fruitful discussion with New Zealand High Commissioner, pledges support for Cocoa Development
Cocoa farmers in Solomon Islands will soon be benefiting from a funding assistance for tools and equipment to help improve cocoa productivity.
The exciting news was announced during a meeting held between the Minister for Agriculture and Livestock (MAL) Hon. Franklyn Derek Wasi and His Excellency Jonathan Schwass, the New Zealand High Commissioner to Solomon Islands and his Deputy, Her Excellency Rebacca Williams on Friday 19th July in Honiara.
Hon. Minister Wasi use the meeting to brief His Excellency on the policy priorities of the Government for National Unit and Transformation (GNUT) for Agriculture in Solomon Islands and the general direction the Ministry is taking to achieve long term sustainability of agriculture development.
One of the main emphasis Minister Wasi made during the discussion was for support toward the cocoa industry given the current high market price globally and its potential to make a quick turnover toward improving the economy of the country.
In his response, His Excellency Schwass thanked the Hon. Minister for the opportunity to have a brief discussion with him and his Permanent Secretary (PS) and thanked MAL for the ongoing collaboration between the ministry and its New Zealand partners.
His Excellency Schwass assured the Minister that given the serious commitment of the Agriculture Ministry to grow the cocoa industry in Solomon Islands, the New Zealand High Commission office in Honiara will be providing a total funding of $100,000 to purchase tools and equipment for improving cocoa productivity in some parts of the country.
The New Zealand High Commissioner further assured the Minister that the New Zealand government will consider other areas of assistance including the dire need for an experienced veterinary to assist the ministry with its biosecurity meat import protocols and services provided by the livestock department.
His Excellency Schwass further acknowledges the Minister for reaching out very early in the reign of the GNUT government and will work closely with the ministry in whatever areas it can help to grow the agriculture sector in Solomon Islands.
The Agriculture Minister delightfully thanked His Excellency for the numerous assistances provided by the New Zealand government to the agriculture sector over the years.
Minister Wasi, also took the time to thanked the New Zealand government for the donation of a bus to the biosecurity department and for the funding support to fighting the spread of the coconut rhinoceros beetle (CRB) project including other support benefiting the agriculture sector which were channelled through the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) and NGOs.
The meeting was requested by the ministry and in a gesture of appreciation, Hon. Minister Wasi presented a gift to His Excellency Schwass in the form of a beautifully carved wood carving embroidered with sea shells.
End///////
Source: MAL Media
EIN Presswire does not exercise editorial control over third-party content provided, uploaded, published, or distributed by users of EIN Presswire. We are a distributor, not a publisher, of 3rd party content. Such content may contain the views, opinions, statements, offers, and other material of the respective users, suppliers, participants, or authors.
