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First pineapple export expected in 3rd quarter of 2025

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By Loretta B Manele

The first pineapple export is expected to take place during the 3rd quarter of 2025.

Dr Samson Viulu, permanent secretary for the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAL) revealed this during an interview with the media after the opening of “World Food Day” on Wednesday, 30th October at SINU, Panatina FOPA village.

He said their friends from the Australian High Commission encouraged the idea for Solomon Islands to export fresh pineapple, particularly from Malaita province.

Viulu said from their visits to pacific island countries they found that the tastiest pineapples came from Solomon Islands.

He mentioned that of course other provinces also produce the fruit but Malaita stands out because of the unique flavour of pineapples grown there and because the province has “strength” in producing the fruit.

Viulu said MAL has already purchased two fumigators last year, which is the machined used to treat fresh pineapples like removing pests from its skin before it’s exported.

He added that while the machines are already in the country, they are yet to be installed as there is no housing or chamber to accommodate them.

Viulu said it’s been a week now since they’ve put out a tender for interested contractors to submit their applications to construct the fumigation chamber.

“This tender will close on 5th Nov and the selected contractor will build the fumigation chamber and do the installation of the machines at the ministry’s area at Henderson”

Viulu said hopefully, the country should export fresh pineapple to Australia by the 3rd quarter of 2025.

Australia funds standby generator for Auki police station

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BY SAMIE WAIKORI

Provincial police headquarter in Auki, Malaita province will no longer face challenges with electricity, as a new standby generator is provided for the station.

Installation of the generator is underway coinciding with the current renovation of Auki police headquarter, both funded by the Australian government.

Provincial Police Commander Malaita, chief superintendent Tex Tafoa expressed delight to the Australian government for the tremendous support.

He said Auki police headquarter office will be among very few offices in Auki to have standby generators, which is important when face with power problems.

“Now that we have a standby generator, I hope our work won’t disrupt by load-shedding like we used to before. It will also help my officers carry out their office work without concern on power supply,” Tafoa said.

The PPC hoped that with such resources in place, it will help bolster their work output and their general policing work in the province.

He stressed that this is however the essence of the support that will encourage and ensure police perform to the expectation of people they serve.

Tafoa said his office is happy for the support from Australia as they look forward to make great use of the standby generator.

Man pleads not guilty to murder and rape

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BY ROMINAH FAKA

A man has pleaded not guilty to murder and rape.

John Koti, 41, was charged over allegations of the rape of a 31-year-old woman who later died due to her injuries sustained from the incident.

The incident reportedly took place at New Vunuha, Ngella, Central Islands province.

Defence opted for a short form preliminary inquiry to which the crown tendered in court yesterday the committal deposition documents.

The matter moved to November 8 for ruling on the committal deposition.

Police alleged on August 25 at New Vunuha village, Ngella, Central province, the deceased was at her home with her family.

On that day, the deceased’s family was having a family gathering.

Around 6pm, the family had their dinner, which was followed by discussion and storytelling session. The meeting ended around midnight.

After the meeting, all the people that gathered for the family meeting left while the deceased and two women remained at the deceased’s house for clean-up.

Between 12am and 1am the deceased and the two women were still cleaning when a person called in at the house. It was alleged that this person had just come back from fishing. He gave some fish to the women.

The deceased told one of the women to cook the fish while she went to a Frank and Mary’s house about 50 metres away from her house.

She was returning a pot they had borrowed for the family gathering earlier that night.

Police alleged that these two women waited for more than an hour for the deceased to return but she did not return.

The deceased suddenly returned after an hour passed and told one of the two women that her body was not okay.

The woman saw that the deceased was bleeding heavily.

The deceased told the woman that on her way to Frank and Mary’s house, the accused grabbed both of her hands and shut her mouth and dragged her into the grass and raped her with great force.

The deceased said she had told the accused that she was bleeding profusely and he got up and took off.

Prosecution said the deceased struggled and managed to get herself up and tried her best to walk back to her house.

As she reached her house the two women tried their best to stop the bleeding but were unsuccessful.

They took the victim to Tulagi that morning, August 26, where she was referred to the NRH in Honiara.

When they reached the NRH the victim was pronounced dead.

John Wesley Zoze appears for crown and PSO appear for Koti.

Opposition leader Wale calls for PS Viulu’s sacking

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Opposition leader, Matthew Wale

BY NED GAGAHE

This week Opposition Leader Matthew Wale called for the sacking of the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture & Livestock (MAL) Dr Samson Viulu.

Wale made the call following documents that showed that Mr Viulu has continued to give directives under the Chinese Embassy’s Rural Sustainable Development Programme (RSDP) to the officers administered within the Ministry of Rural Development (MRD).

The Opposition leader said documents showed that on October 4, 2024, Viulu used the RSDP letterhead to write a transfer memo for 200 drums of fuel purchased for Temotu Nende Constituency in 2023 to be transferred to Renbel Constituency in October 2024.

This was done long after Viulu was moved out from the MRD.

Wale has questioned why the RSDP letterhead is still used by someone no longer an officer employed under MRD.

The opposition office is aware that this is just one of many letters Viulu wrote under the RSDP since he moved to MAL.

But PS Viulu is yet to respond to clear the air over the allegations levelled against him.

This paper attempted to speak with PS Viulu to respond to the allegations levelled against him yesterday but was unsuccessful.

An email sent to him remained unanswered before this paper went to print last night.

Following the publication of the statement by various media platforms it has also attracted a wave of criticisms and mixed reactions from the public spaces especially on the social media platforms in support and against the Opposition Leader’s call.

Some commentors on social media demands that PS Viulu came out to clarify his side of story explain his actions revealed by the Opposition Leader.

Others have defended PS Viulu’s actions.

Minister of Agriculture and Livestock (MAL) Franklyn Derek Wasi was one of the commentors to came out defending Mr Viulu.

“It’s an unappropriate fund which belongs to PRC and phase 1 is still being implemented. Funds blo PRC not SIG. Cheers,” emphasizing that the funds belong to PRC not Solomon Islands Government.

He commented on a thread on the news posted on SMB online.

Leader of the Independent Group and MP for East Are’are Peter Kenilorea Jnr also commented on the thread.

“This is what happens when China outsources their money under the RSDP to govt ministries.

“The CDF, on the other hand, goes through parliamentary processes and the management of resources are guided by the public finance management Act.

“The RSDP, given that its China’s funds, should have been administered and managed by the Chinese Embassy themselves and should have never been outsourced to a SIG ministry. For example, Japan has its ‘grassroots’ programme that they manage themselves. Australia has its ‘community partnership programme’ that the manage themselves. US has SCALE.

“These countries don’t outsource the management of their funds for their programmes to govt ministries. Interested communities apply directly to these Embassies, High Commissions, or non-government entities to access the funds.” MP Kenilorea said.

The Opposition Secretariat issued a press statement on Thursday calling on the Prime Minister to fire Mr Viulu.

“Viulu is the PS of MAL and not MRD so why is he still writing transfer memos under the RSDP and why are officers of MRD still taking directions from him. Is the RSDP his personal account and monies? There is clearly wrong doing on Dr Viulu’s part, but also on the part of the MRD officers that are enabling his illegal unethical behaviour,” Wale said.

Wale said the RSDP is administered by MRD and not MAL and something fishy is going on.

He has also questioned why signatories of the RSDP account have not changed from the previous management to the current one.

“Viulu also confirmed to MPs that he only takes instructions from the Minister for Police Hon Jimson Tanangada which is total wrong,” he said.

 “In this matter, it is clear the Prime Minister knows everything that is going on with RSDP, and he is allowing it to continue,” Wale adds.

He said the Prime Minister is too weak and indecisive and cannot take tough decisions and this is a real problem for governance for Solomon Islands.

Wale said the PRC’s RSDP programme is being run by a mafia operation that treats the funds as private property and they refuse transparency and accountability to parliament and the public.

The Opposition Leader said it is surprising that both the government and Chinese embassy have remained silent with the RSDP.

“Why the silence? What are they hiding?” Wale questioned.

Wale adds it seems the Minister of MRD himself is not aware of the situation or maybe he is ignorant of the crooked practices happening within his ministry.

“This should not be the situation, and it is tragic and negligent,” Wale said.

Wale said the RSDP must be brought under the budget and have the Public Finance Management Act applied to it.

Wale calls on the Chinese Embassy to insist on it.

“The current RSDP set up outside the budget has proven to be a hotbed for corruption and other unethical practices that are not good for the governance of Solomon Islands,” the Opposition Leader said.

SEASONAL WORK WOES

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Solomon Islands workers paid below minimum wage in Australia’s largest food processing company JBS Primo

BY NED GAGAHE

Solomon Islands seasonal workers in Australia’s largest food processing company JBS Primo under the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme are being paid below the Australian minimum wage rate of AUD24.1 per hour.

Around 50 workers are reportedly affected by this mistreatment, and are being paid at AUD23.52 per hour.

It is understood they are first-year workers, and are in their eighth month of employment. Second-year workers and above are reportedly paid the minimum wage and above.

JBS Primo has not responded to enquiries sent it by Island Sun.

The Solomon Islands foreign affairs ministry (MFAET), which coordinates the seasonal worker scheme here has also chosen to remain silent to enquiries.

The Australian High Commission in Honiara has reiterated to the paper that the Australian government has zero tolerance for mistreatment of workers under the PALM scheme.

One of the spokespersons for the Solomon Islanders employed by JBS Primo, who requested anonymity, shares that they had been misled by the company and MFAET officials during their meetings before flying over to Australia.

They are heading towards their ninth month with JBS Primo and apart from being paid below minimum wage, they are still paying off deductions which they were promised would only be for the first three months.

Payslips of several workers Island Sun have sighted show – mobility ongoing programme deduction, mobility programme ST flights deduction, health and mobile deductions – which the workers dispute.

Another worker, speaking on anonymity said:

“Now, I have been working for over a year with the company, but we’re still being paid below the minimum rate, this is totally unfair. 

“Some of the workers who came before us, now in the second year, are being paid the minimum rate or more.”

The minimum wage in Australia is AUD24.10 commencing from July 1 this year or $915.90 per 38-hour work.

A spokesperson from the Australian High Commission, Honiara in response to this paper’s enquiry said that worker welfare and wellbeing is at the heart of how Australia approaches labour mobility.

The spokesperson said all workers participating in the PALM scheme have the same workplace rights and protections as Australian workers.

“Despite this we have no option but to sacrifice ourselves, work tirelessly every day,” a seasonal worker who spoke to Island Sun said.

While the workers recognise the economic necessity of their employment, sending money back home to support their families and contribute to various purposes, they also highlight the adverse impact on their welfare and wellbeing.

“This is really affecting us because we have to pay for weekly accommodation bills, living costs and other needs, we have to foot these bills,” the worker added.

If there is no overtime work they receive only around AUD400 that payday, the worker said.

The worker emphasised the need for responsible authorities to take this matter seriously, as it could have a detrimental impact on the well-being of individual seasonal workers.

“Time and again we raised this with our supervisors and authorities but it seems it falls on deaf ears,” the workers said.

As the concerns of seasonal workers gain attention, it remains to be seen how authorities will respond to ensure the fair treatment to the workers who play a crucial role in the agricultural workforce of Australia.

The Island Sun sent questions two weeks ago to JBS Primo via their website but did not receive any response. This paper also contacted the JBS Primo via their Facebook page but with no response.

This paper also sent questions to the Director of LMU of MFAET for comments for nearly three weeks but received no feedback or comment on that matter.

This paper understands that in recent changes to the PALM scheme, from January 1 this year, employers are required to offer 30 hours of work per week, averaged over four weeks, for all existing and new short-term recruitments.

Meanwhile, the spokesperson for Australian High Commission in Honiara said that the Australian Government has zero tolerance for worker mistreatment in the PALM scheme

“We take all allegations of worker mistreatment seriously and promptly investigate them. Where breaches of Australian law or PALM scheme employer obligations are identified, we refer them to the appropriate authority or regulator.

“Anyone with any concerns about PALM scheme workers’ welfare and wellbeing should contact the PALM scheme support line on 1800 51 51 31 or via ([email protected]).”

The PALM scheme has provided over 7,600 jobs for Solomon Islanders, who save and send home an average of SBD8,500 per month, enabling them to pay school fees, build houses and start businesses.

This programme helps support Solomon Islands’ economic development, and the benefits are felt across the communities of returned Solomon Islands PALM workers.

FROZEN TARO

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Local Malaita-based agribusiness launches pre-packed product

BY INDY MAEALASIA

A local agribusiness based in Malaita has marked a major achievement with the launch of its newly labeled pre-packaged taro product, now available for public purchase.

Goshen Enterprise Ltd has teamed up with Meat Delights Shop at NPF plaza, Point Cruz to offer its ‘Solomon Frozen Taro’ product this week.

Reflecting on this achievement, Goshen’s operation manager, Levite Maesimae shared his delight with Island Sun.

“I am happy and excited, it is a new step towards my goal to get the products labeled,” he said.

The idea for product labeling arose from previous discussions Goshen had with several local shops in Honiara.

“We usually start with the normal production process, and our products did not have the labels. However, we soon realized that the domestic market wanted proper labeling,” he explained.

With this new development, Goshen has seen a rise in interest from both existing and potential customers.

“When we started with the labels, we began seeing growing interests among customers from various backgrounds- messaging me on Facebook to inquire about the products,” he mentioned.

The taro crops are sourced from rural Malaitan farmers, processed and packaged in the provincial capital, Auki before being transported to Honiara for sale. Currently, the finished products are priced at $35 per package.  

Maesimae explained that the current pricing is due to factors such as label printing which is costly and logistics.

Despite these, he expressed hope to enhance the products and meet additional criteria to expand their availability in other shops.

Meanwhile, Meat Delights Shop Manager, Tony Tepe emphasized that this partnership aims to promote local businesses and their products.

“It aligns with our vision and is in our interests to assist and promote local business and their products,” Tepe said.

Tepe also emphasised that offering the taro products would save customers valuable time and energy, making it more convenient for them to access high-quality local food options without the hassle of searching at the markets.

Australia lauds local solar experts Superfly for ‘blueprint’ project feat

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BY IRWIN ANGIKI

Leading local solar experts – the Superfly Limited – has been acknowledged by Australia for pulling of the Good Samaritan solar hybrid project on time, according to plan and with quality materials.

Speaking at the handover of the Good Samaritan Hospital (GSH) new solar hybrid power system on Wednesday, Lindsay Buckingham, minister-counsellor of the Australian High Commission said Superfly has set standard not only for the country but for the Pacific.

“I would like to especially acknowledge Superfly for its professionalism, delivering a project on time, on budget and as planned and we are so proud to be partnering with a local business to help deliver local outcomes for this community.”

The Good Samaritan solar project is one of four renewable energy projects across the Solomon Islands, which in turn are part of an Australian programme across the Pacific and Timor Leste to provide access to renewable and reliable energy for communities, especially in the rural areas.

The project was launched in February this year in partnership with Superfly to instal the solar hybrid system for GSH.

“This project is the first to be completed not only in Solomon Islands under this programme, but also in any Pacific country. This is the first,” Ms Buckingham said.

“It really is a significant milestone, and it was a project delivered to plan, delivered on time and with high quality materials only eight months after we launched this programme.

“Projects like this partnership between Superfly, the Good Samaritan Hospital and the Ministry of Health are a blueprint of what we can achieve together.”

The GSH services more than 62,000 people from surrounding communities in the North Guadalcanal plains, including patients from Honiara who seek help there.

The project does away with GSH’s costly dependency on generator power, which had occupied around $170,000 of the hospital’s budget per year.

This free energy means GSH can now save millions for other hospital infrastructure in the future.

The $1.4 million project is supported under Australia’s Pacific Climate Infrastructure Financing Partnership (PCIFP) initiative.

Good Samaritan Hospital receives state of the art solar-battery hybrid system

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BY IRWIN ANGIKI

The Good Samaritan Hospital has received a state-of-the-art solar-battery hybrid system providing renewable and reliable electricity 24/7.

The $1.4 million project is supported under Australia’s Pacific Climate Infrastructure Financing Partnership (PCIFP) initiative. And, was implemented by local leading solar experts – Superfly Limited.

Good Samaritan Hospital (GSH) services more than 62,000 people from surrounding communities. Even patients in Honiara seek help there.

One of the hospital’s major budget constraints was electricity, having to depend on generator power at the cost of around $170,000 a year.

The handover on Wednesday this week sees the removal of this huge cost which is now expected to go towards other improvements of the hospital’s operations.

And, generator power being available only from 9am – 10pm, is now a thing of the past.

Giving her keynote address, Minister Counsellor of the Australian High Commission Lindsay Buckingham attributed the successful completion and handover of the project to the partnership between Australia, the ministry of health (MHMS), the GSH and Superfly.

The project is a continuation of Australia’s ongoing commitment to renewable energy and health service in the Solomon Islands.

“This project was one of the first projects selected with new funding from an Australian government programme which supported off-grid renewable energy sources across the Pacific,” Ms Buckingham said.

The Good Samaritan project is one of four off-grid projects under the programme for Solomon Islands, Buckingham said.

She pointed to other upcoming projects by Australia to help communities access renewable and reliable solar power which will be set up in Malaita, Western and Central provinces.

Buckingham highlighted that the Good Samaritan project is the first of all the projects under the Australian programme across the Pacific to be completed.

“It really is a significant milestone, and it was a project delivered to plan, delivered on time and with high quality materials only eight months after we launched this programme.”

She said Australia understands the need to move away from the costly diesel-generator power, which had costed GSH around $170,000 on fuel alone.

“But, now, since switching to the new renewable source, the hospital has been operating 24/7 on solar energy.

“The hospital has not needed to use the diesel generator once since this project was installed.”

Minister of Health Dr Paul Popora Bosawai in his speech shared his familiarity with the hardships hospital workers faced in the absence of electricity. His medical career had got its footing at the GSH.

“Today is indeed historical as it marks the day when our only hospital in the area, Good Samaritan Hospital, is now set to benefit from a more resilient health care system through great energy security thanks to the partnership between Superfly Limited, the GSH and the Australian Government which launched early this year, and now this mission has now been accomplished.

“Through this partnership, Superfly has installed a solar hybrid system which will enable North Guadalcanal communities and members to access a safe and more resilient health care and setting through renewable energy.”

The Health Minister said this translates to more than 60 thousand people serviced by the Hospital, including around 21,500 women.

Popora Bosawai is also the MP for North Guadalcanal constituency, on which the GSH is located.

Guadalcanal Premier Willie Atu provided context to the significance of GSH and the new solar hybrid system.

“The Good Samaritan Hospital serves the largest population of all the area health centres in Guadalcanal.

“Mamara health centre, west of Honiara, serves a population of 20,000. Tangangarare, further to the west, serves a population of 25,000. Avuvau serves a population of 14,000. Aola serves a population of 26,000. Good Samaritan Hospital serves a population of 62,000. The population of Guadalcanal is 178,000 and increasing.”

Premier Atu said the eastern periphery of Honiara leading to the Good Samaritan Hospital’s proximity, is also increasing in development as more and more people from other provinces move in pursuing employment opportunities.

He described the Good Samaritan solar project as a “proactive step in capacitating the area health centres in Guadalcanal” which allows such area health centres with improved infrastructures to continue operating throughout “critical times”. He made this statement, referencing the recent pandemic.

Premier Atu thanked the Australian government and DFAT, and asked if the same renewable energy project could be done for the five other area health centres in Guadalcanal.

Superfly Managing Director Gavin Pereira in his keynote said the solar hybrid system of GSH represents more than just technology, it includes resilience, partnership and shared commitment to advancing rural health care.

“We know that reliable power is not just a luxury in health care, it is essential. With this 70kW solar system paired together with the 230kWh battery bank and 45KVA Victron inverters, we know that Good Samaritan Hospital will now have a reliable, sustainable energy source to power critical services day and night. This includes lighting, refrigeration, critical surgeries and other medical needs to save lives.

“This project will enable the hospital to give consistent care without the worry of power interruptions, giving the staff here the support they need to focus on what matters most – caring for patients.

“In addition to increasing energy security, this project also supports environmental goals by reducing dependency on fossil fuels, setting a new standard in clean energy for health care facilities across Solomon Islands.

“We are incredibly proud to be a local company that is capable of executing large scale projects like this and we are thrilled to play a part in making meaningful contributions to the country’s energy landscape.”

Community members, including few from Tenaru Foxwood, who spoke with Island Sun shared their joy and relief at the GSH new solar power system.

Maria Neikaai, a mother who brought her child for medical treatment, said the project accurately targets the problem which she had faced for many years using the hospital’s services.

She is excited that they will no longer have to wait for hours for medical attention due to a power problem.

“Thank you Australia and Superfly Limited,” Neikaai said.

This project is part of the Australian Government’s Pacific Climate Infrastructure Financing Partnership (PCIFP) initiative to expand the Australian Infrastructure Financing Facility for the Pacific’s climate investments, a statement by the Australian High Commission yesterday explained.

It does this by partnering with businesses to deliver reliable and sustainable renewable energy to remote and rural communities in the Pacific and Timor-Leste, implemented by the Business Partnerships Platform, the statement adds.

Right to foods for a better life – World Food Day begins

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BY JOHN HOUANIHAU

The celebration of World Food Day commenced yesterday at the Panatina SINU campus FOPA village in East Honiara.

The global theme for this year’s World Food Day is ‘Right to foods for a better life and a better future: Leave no one behind’.

World Food Day is observed annually on October 16 to draw attention to the millions of individuals globally who lack access to a nutritious diet and to emphasise the importance of consistent access to healthy food.

In the Solomon Islands, the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAL) leads the annual celebrations in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Country Office in Honiara, along with various stakeholders, partners, and agricultural groups.

This year’s event coincides with several internationally recognized days, including World Food Safety Day, World Environment Day, International Women’s Day, and World Soil Day, all of which have significant consequences for global food security.

The event commenced with speeches from Deputy Secretary Technical of MAL, Michael Ho’ota, opening remarks by Permanent Secretary Dr Samson Viulu, FAO representative Douglas Yee, a keynote address by Franklyn Derek Wasi, Minister for MAL, and remarks from PRC counsellor Gong Rui, New Zealand High Commissioner Jonathan Schwass, and Australian Acting Deputy High Commissioner Dr Tristan Armstrong.

The commemoration, which commenced yesterday at FOPA in Honiara, features a variety of activities, including the ‘Agriculture Show’, along with awareness campaigns, stall displays, and demonstrations of agricultural products.

The event concludes tomorrow.

Rape accused tells court he has a new lawyer

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BY ROMINAH FAKA

A man accused of rape in 2022 has told court on the day he was supposed to take his plea that he will be getting a new lawyer.

The case will return to court on November 14 for mention.

Prosecution updated court on Tuesday this week that the information was filed on August 27 this year and that the hearing was for the accused to take his plea.

However, the accused told court that he will be getting a new lawyer.

The accused did not know the name of the new lawyer, nor that of the law firm his new lawyer works for.

Court therefore made directions for the accused to update the court on the next mention date.

Also, for defence to obtain instructions from the accused for arraignment on November 14.

The accused was charged with rape and the matter was committed from the Magistrate Court to High Court.

Prosecution alleged on November 21, 2022 at Tanuli road, Kukum area the accused had sexual intercourse with the complainant without her consent.

It was alleged the victim did not gave her consent to the accused however, he took advantage of the victim by being reckless as to lack of consent and had sexual intercourse with her.

Public Prosecution Office appear for crown and of Public Solicitor Office appear for the accused.

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