BY SAMIE WAIKORI
AUKI
PREMIER of Makira/Ulawa province has reiterated his government’s commitment to rehabilitate coconut plantations in the province.
In an interview on Tuesday, premier Stanley Siapu said sometimes ago his government had set a taskforce to work with people on the plan.
He said the taskforce is yet to roll out with the work as necessary work required by the taskforce to do on the plan has already been prepared.
Siapu said for now the member of the taskforce whom they were his executive members are still busy on other works and as long as they done they will go for the work.
He explained that coming up with the plan is his government’s commitment to ensure turning the coconut plantations into something will benefit the people and the province.
Siapu said the purpose of rehabilitating the coconut plantations was to maintain the productivity of the plantations.
He said most of the plantations in the province were about 60-70 years old and they need rehabilitating them.
Adding that with idea of rehabilitating the plantations, the notion was to look at what already existed rather than going for something new.
He explained that if his government to look at introducing new kind of agricultural developments that will be either costly or demanding to his people, rather than rehabilitating the existing agricultural assert in the province.
However, in pursuant of the plan to the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, Siapu said the ministry has no budget for activity deal with development of coconut for this year.
He said despite that his government’s focus was still on the plan to ensure people to benefit from coconut development in his province.
Siapu also assured that his government also working on other areas of development for the province.
