BY SAMIE WAIKORI
The Northwest Guadalcanal constituency is proposing to plant one million cocoa trees under its Economic Zone initiative recently launched at Mamara in west Guadalcanal.
The proposal formed an integral aspect of the EZ that gears at strategic crop expansion – a vision for growth to enhance the initiative.
Member of Parliament for Northwest Guadalcanal constituency, who is also Minister for Public Service, Francis Sade said his office and people are looking forward to pursue the milestone initiative.
He said to drive this productivity revolution; the Northwest Guadalcanal Constituency is launching a bold initiative to scale up high-value crop production:
1, Cocoa expansion: planting one-million trees
• We aim to plant one-million cocoa trees across the constituency, revitalizing our cocoa sector and positioning Northwest Guadalcanal as a leading producer in the Solomon Islands.
• This initiative will include nursery development, farmer training, and cooperative-led processing and marketing, ensuring that value is retained locally.
- Coconut plantation revitalization
• Many of our coconut plantations are aging and underutilized. We will rehabilitate and replant these areas with high-yielding varieties.
• We will also support value-added processing—such as virgin coconut oil, desiccated coconut, and coconut-based handicrafts—to increase income and create jobs. - Diversifying into fruits, vegetables and high-value crops
• We will expand the production of bananas, pineapples, taro, cassava, leafy greens, spices, and medicinal plants.
• These crops will not only improve household nutrition and food security, but also open up new market and export opportunities.
The Minister said the proposal will elevate local incomes, especially for women and youth engaged in farming and processing.
Adding it will strengthen food security and reduce reliance on imports and contribute directly to national GDP growth, demonstrating the vital link between rural productivity and national prosperity.
He said the Northwest Guadalcanal constituency cannot carry out this development along, and they will be working together with national government and development partners.
• Development partners to support seed distribution, training and infrastructure.
• Private investors to co-finance processing facilities and export logistics.
• Government agencies to align policies and provide technical support.
MP Sade strongly believe that through the EZ initiative, they can transform the constituency into a model of agricultural excellence, where every tree planted and every crop harvested brings them closer to a future of shared prosperity.
