Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare has announced the Commodities Export Marketing Authority will open a buying centre for Makira Ulawa Province before the year’s end.
Sogavare said, “the Government is working towards opening its Buying Centre at Pakera by November 2021.”
CEMA is working with the Makira/Ulawa Provincial Government investment arm on a proposed joint venture on the downstream processing facility that will be established at a later time, he explained.
He said, the Government knows the revitalisation of the Commodities Export Marketing Authority, CEMA is crucial towards creating jobs, access to income to the rural populace and growing the rural economy of Solomon Islands.
The Government is serious as indicated in the key national policy outcomes to revive CEMA to support commodity marketing exports of key commodities such as coconut, cocoa, oil palm, and to drive exports of potential commercial commodities such as coffee, noni, vanilla, pineapple and others, he explained.
Makira was one of the first provinces identified to host a Buying Centre.
He adds, CEMA and Makira/Ulawa Provincial Government (MUPG) Executive are now working with Pakera Enterprises to lease land for CEMA to establish its buying centre to operate in for the next 24 months whilst work on a proposed site at Kirakira is progressing.
He said, the CEMA revitalisation and recapitalisation strategy will be for a seven-year period starting from 2021 to 2027 and it will require a total capital investment of SBD$77million by the Government that will be implemented in three phases over the seven-year period.
Prime Minister Sogavare was speaking as the guest of honour during today’s celebrations marking Makira Ulawa’s 38th Second Appointed Day celebration at the Provincial Capital Kirakira.
–OPMC PRESS
