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Economy expects 3.5 percent growth in 2018

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
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Deputy Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare

By Gary Hatigeva

THE Solomon Islands national economy under the guidance of the one-year-old Solomon Islands Democratic Coalition for Change Government (SIDCCG) is looking to grow at an average of 3.5 percent over the course of this year, just slightly below the 2017 growth of 3.7 percent.

The pickup in growth according to reports from the Ministry of Finance and Treasury was driven by improvement in agriculture, strong growth in fisheries and a stabilised level of logging activities.

Also speaking on this, Finance Minister Manasseh Sogavare confirmed and made a breakdown where he outlined that the primary sector is forecasted to contribute only 0.5 percentage points to real GDP growth in 2018, having compared with a historical average of around 1.5 percentage points, and this is due to the expected stabilisations in the value of log exports.

He said projections revealed that the manufacturing, construction and utilities sector on the other hand, is forecasted to contribute 0.6 percent to real GDP growth in 2018, which he said is in line with strong credit growth in these sectors and feedback from industry consultation.

He added that this service sector is expected to contribute 2.4 percentages in 2018, out of a total of 3.5 percentage points, and reflecting should continue strong growth in retail/trade sector, communication, transport/storage and financial intermediation.

“Growth in agriculture sector is forecasted to moderate in 2018 but still contribute around 0.6 percentage points to growth.

“The agriculture sector is one of our most labour intensive sectors and employs more than half of the total employed within the primary sector.

“Business investment, particularly in construction, plant and equipment is also expected to rise in 2018, in line with the ongoing work commencing on a number of major donor funded projects,” Mr Sogavare further explained.

The Minister of Finance and Treasury then emphasised that these investments will support growth by increasing productivity over the medium term once the projects are implemented and operational.

He concluded that in 2018, however, the investments are not forecasted to make a significant contribution to net growth due mainly to high imports.

Police investigate alleged armed robbery in Western province

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
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POLICE are investigating an alleged armed robbery at the Malohuna Camp, of the One Link Logging Company in the Harapa area of the Shortland Islands in Western province, in the early hours of Sunday this week (March 25, 2018).

It was alleged seven men, believed to be from Bougainville, allegedly armed with firearms, robbed the Camp Manager and removed goods in the canteen, took off with three chainsaws, a mobile phone, torches and clothes as well other items.

Supervising Assistant Commissioner (AC) Provincial, Chief Superintendent Anika Nausi says, “Officers of the RSIPF Police Response Team (PRT) have been deployed to the Shortland Islands to provide security for investigators currently on the ground.

“Additional police investigators including Community Policing and Forensic officers with a Police Patrol boat had been deployed to the Western Province to boost the security in Shortlands and as well at the border and assist in the investigation. Police from Taro, in Choiseul Province have also been sent to the Shortlands to assist.

“This is an incident allegedly involving people crossing into our side of the common border with Papua New Guinea with firearms and the RSIPF is taking this allegation very seriously.

“I appeal to people in the Shortland Islands to assist the RSIPF with its investigation into the incident.”

Information can be passed anonymously to any officer of the RSIPF currently in the Shortland Islands investigating the incident or people can call police at Gizo phone 60999 or the Police free toll line 999.

–POLICE MEDIA

MNURP rejects report

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
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By Mike Puia

THE Ministry of National Unity, Reconciliation and Peace (MNURP) rejected earlier reports about an issue it has with a State Owned Enterprise (SOE), Solomon Water.

Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Justus Denni, said reports suggesting that Solomon Water disconnected water supply to the Ministry’s housing estate at Panatina Rudge in East Honiara is incorrect.

Mr Denni said the Solomon Water refused to connect water supply to their staff houses since 2016 since their estate is within Solomon Water catchment area.

He said there are other residential houses within the Solomon Water borehole catchment and not the Ministry’s alone.

Denni confirmed the land where the Ministry had built on is owned by the government, through their Ministry.

He said they are taking initiatives to negotiate the issue with Solomon Water in order to reach an amicable and lasting solution.

London Mission will be expensive: Soaki

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
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MFAET Deputy Secretary, William Soaki

By Mike Puia

MFAET Deputy Secretary, William Soaki

MINISTRY of Foreign Affairs and Eternal Trade (MFAET) Deputy Secretary, William Soaki, says the country’s diplomatic Mission that will officially opened in London, United Kingdom, next month will be very expensive to run.

Mr Soaki revealed this when staff of the MFAET appeared before the parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC) last week.

He said the country has missions overseas, and in Europe, but they are as not expensive compared to the London Mission.

Prime Minister Rick Houenipwela will officially open the Mission next month, even though it has already been in use.

Soaki confirmed their Ministry had bid for $5 million under its budget submission for this year but the government only allocated $1 million.

The Ministry so far has $3 million to cater for the London Mission. There is concern the limited budget for the Mission would prevent it from fully discharging its work.

The London Mission is expensive because the country meets all the costs ranging from office cost to rental and entitlements for people who will work in the Mission.

Compared to our other missions, they (missions) got support from international organisations that cater for rental and other costs which reduces their operational costs.

Soaki said the London Mission will be expensive but there is political will to see it opened.

He said the country expects to reap many benefits from the London Mission especially through its bilateral with the United Kingdom.

Hope for farmers

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
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Hon Bodo Dettke MP (RIGHT) infront of the container filled with 1,000-litre IBC of Noni juice bound for Brisbane tomorrow

North-west Guadalcanal MP Dettke makes maiden export of multi-million dollar Noni product

By Alfred Sasako

Hon Bodo Dettke MP (RIGHT) infront of the container filled with 1,000-litre IBC of Noni juice bound for Brisbane tomorrow

NORTH-WEST Guadalcanal MP Bodo Dettke is today standing taller than the rest of his Parliamentary colleagues, opening a potential revival for the nation’s stagnant economy.

While uncertainty looms larger over the passage of the 2018 National Budget this week – the source many constituencies rely on for their funding – Hon Dettke was yesterday busy overseeing the loading of 20 tonnes of Noni juice being exported to Australia.

The consignment leaves for Brisbane tomorrow. It is the first of 40 tonnes of juice extracted from organic Noni fruit which were bought from North-West Guadalcanal farmers.

The juice is being stored in 1,000-litre Intermediate Bulk Container (IBC), which is accepted internationally for carrying such goods.

“Today Noni farming is taking North-West Guadalcanal Constituency by storm,” Mr Dettke proudly told Island Sun yesterday as he looked on while his workers prepared the first container for shipment.

“This is the sort of thing we as Members of Parliament should be doing to help our rural people,” he said.

This week Dettke was “invited” by the Government to help other MPs grow Noni.

“The problem I have with the government is that they are all anti-development. Every single piece of imported equipment you see here we had to pay duty and yet this is to help the rural people.

“We had to drop coconut production and potatoes because it has become very expensive. We were never given duty exemptions and yet the government keeps talking about rural development,” Dettke said.

Bernard Garo, the head of the newly-formed Farmers’ Association described as “a revolution” what Noni farming is doing in North-West Guadalcanal.

“This is the beginning of a revolution. And it is the women who are leading this revolution, which in a few years could transform the rural North-West Guadalcanal into the richest area in Solomon Islands,” Mr Garo, who initially was cynical about Noni farming when Dettke first talked about it, said.

Dettke said. “I was not so sure myself about it all when we first started. But now I am surprised at the speed Noni farming is taking in my Constituency. If the government can put money in this endeavour, I tell you this country will take off in no time.”

Return on investing on Noni farming is huge.

Samoa which controls 50 percent of the market, for example, Noni export brings in about USD2 billion annually to that country’s economy.

Dettke said Solomon Islands can become the number one Noni producing country in the Pacific. It is estimated that one Noni tree can produce 13kg of fruit per month on average.

That means that one hectare of Noni farm of 1,600 trees can produce 20,800kg of fruit per month. At the current roadside price of $3 per kilogramme, the return to a farmer who owns one hectare is $62,000 a month, he said.

Western provincial assembly convenes  

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
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Western Provincial Full Assembly debating on the Western Province 2017/2018 supplementary appropriate (No.1) bill 2017/2018

BY ALFRED PAGEPITU

GIZO

THE Western provincial government has convened its first meeting of the second Provincial Assembly which is currently underway at the Western Provincial capital town in Gizo, starting yesterday.

The house yesterday recapped on the minutes of the previous meeting, and received presentation from the Provincial Public Accounts Committee and extensively deliberated on the 2017/2018 Supplementary Appropriation (No 1) Bill in the presence of the Clerk to the Assembly, Kevin Paia and Provincial Speaker, Hon Richard Tekifono.

Premier Wayne Maepioh in his opening address pointed out that the executive government tries to maximise revenue receipts during the 2017/2018 fiscal year as indicated by revenue outturn of SBD$8,247,543 million against expenditure outturn of $7,760,675 million.

“Surplus of $486,868 is transferred to fund capital expenditure items as denoted in the budget document.

“The golden principle of balanced budget is adhered to in this regards and we spend what we earn, indeed we made surplus.

“We have come thus far through consultation/dialogue and perseverance.”

Maepioh said the progress prevailed because all of us have shouldered on the responsibility to progress the desires and the wishes of our people in Western province.

“Politically and administratively, together we have strived, to move this province forward with equal participation, inclusive decision making and wider consultation.

“The Western Provincial government continues to expand public resources for the purpose of planning, consultation and dialogue with important stakeholders, with the overall objective to deliver services to our people.”

He said that such expenditure are provided for under the appropriate ordinances and the management of such expenditure is provided for in the public finance management Act 2013 and the provincial financial management ordinances.

“If the need arises to increase budget supply, then these are prerequisite the legal tools to regularising the needs and my Executive government has done this through this supplementary appropriate Bill 2017/2018.”

RSIPF prepares to graduate 70 recruits

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
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0

BY LYNTON AARON FILIA

SEVENTY recruits of the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) will swear in as new probationary constables on Thursday, March 29.

This follows five months of stringent training.

Police Commissioner Mr Mathew Varley said, “It’s a very important day for the RSIPF to welcome new its members to the police force.”

He said the officers will be posted in Honiara, Guadalcanal and other provinces as well.

“It is also a very significant step forward in strengthening the police force.

“We were working on their trainings for the past five months, they been working very hard to trained during Christmas festive season away from their families.

“I can certainly tell you they are looking forward to getting out to the community in serving the people of Solomon Islands,” Varley said.

East Bugotu community on audio recording training

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
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Captured photo of partcipaants during audio training.

BY MAVIS NISHIMURA PODOKOLO

A series of trainings on audio recording for Bible translation was held at the East Bugotu, Nagholau community in Isabel province.

The organisation who spearheads the training is Solomon Islands Translation Advisory Group (SITAG) and Bible Translation Literacy Partnership, Solomon Islands (BTLP-SI).

The workshop started from March 6-21, 2018 with communities namely East Bugotu and Siasigara of the Nagholau constituency.

One of the female community leaders, Mrs Kathrine Gnochro who is also coordinating the programme in her district and province, said she believes recorded scriptures will help the people of Bugotu understand the word of God through their own language.

“I believe that the audio scripture recording will rally help the people and the generations of Bugotu speakers to hear the word of God through their own language and even those who did not know how to read and write can able to listen through the audio to fully understand what the messages in the scripture,” she said.

Mrs Gnochro also thanked the team which assisted them in the language audio recording.

Facilitators of the training include one from Germany, another form West Timor Indonesia and Mr & Mrs Lauren Runia from the United States.

Cocoa and chocolate festival 2018 set for April 30

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
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0

BY LYNTON AARON FILIA

SOLOMON Islands Cocoa and Chocolate Festival is set for April 30 – May 5 and will involve chocolate-makers and buyers from the United Kingdom and Oceania.

The festival is spearheaded by the Strongim Bisnis Programme, Pacific Horticultural and Agricultural Market Access Programme (PHAMA), Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, ADRA, CEMA and RDP.

According to the team, the festival will showcase Solomon Islands’ cocoa to boutique and fine flavour chocolate-makers and cocoa buyers from the United Kingdom and Oceania.

Main highlights for that event is to promote country’s cocoa quality in a form of competition for Solomon Islands cocoa farmers and processers.

The competition is open to all cocoa farmers who properly ferment and sun-dry their cocoa.

Visiting chocolate makers and cocoa buyers will judge the competition.

“This is a chance to show premium market cocoa buyers the quality of your cocoa,” the team said.

CEMA Chief Produce Inspector Mr Patterson Siliota said currently they are giving out forms and sample plastics to interested cocoa farmers across the country.

They encourage local farmer who are interested to collect forms at CEMA office.

To local farmers in the provinces, Siliota said they will provide further materials and send them out this week.

So far, Siliota said they have not received any entry from local farmers yet.

To enter the competition, local farmers are required to send an entry form and one 5kg sample of sun-dried cocoa beans to CEMA in Honiara (only one sample per producer).

Participants make sure samples are received by CEMA no later than 4.30pm on Wednesday, 25 April 25, 2018.

1st prize – international cocoa trade visit valued at SBD60,000

2nd prize – goods to the value of SBD12,000

3rd prize – goods to the value of SBD8,000

West passes $8m supplementary budget 2017-18

Written by
Milton Ragaruma
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0

BY ALFRED PAGEPITU

GIZO

The Western Provincial Assembly has passed its 2017-18 supplementary budget yesterday.

The approved amount of $8,247,543 was derived from internal and external revenue sources, and had been used over the past six months on recurrent and capital subheads.

Western province minister for finance and treasury, Lester Saomasi yesterday said that the belated budget is now tabled before the Chamber based on the Provision of Provincial Government Act Sect 36 (3).

He says the passage of this ordinance should assist in the process of regularising funds that had already been received and expended over the past six months.

Mr Saomasi said the continuous uncertainty surrounding receipt of certain revenues along with others previously not anticipated in all, warrants yesterday’s presentation of the Western Province 2017/2018 Supplementary (No.1) bill.

“Tabling a supplementary bill by any Government could be a Signal of commendable or questionable performance depending much on the nature and level of expenditure to be regularised.

“In our case certain expenditure were poorly managed, some were under estimated thus resulting in notable over runs following increase in the level related activities.

“Whilst others were included in pursuance of specific executive resolution which unfortunately had to be halted awaiting the outcome of the next provincial and national elections.”

He said concerted effort was mounted to pursue some of these revenue to counter the level of aggregated expenditure noted in the December 2017 report.

He added that the provincial executive was mindful over the number of divisional programmes awaiting funds in the treasury department.

The effort was undertaken to ensure funds are made available to push them through before the 2017/18 financial year lapse.

He said that the bill clearly spells out specific subheads and related sums expended so far which the assembly was required to approve.

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