THE Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAL) through its Extension Department has delivered dozens of vegetable seeds and farming tools to remote communities in Tikopia and Anuta Island, Temotu Province.
The consignment was delivered through the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) on Friday 4th June and will be distributed to eight (8) identified communities or recipients in Tikopia and two (2) communities in Anuta by the Prime Minister’s (PM’s) delegation during the PM’s visit to the two remote Islands this week.
PM and his delegation left for Tikopia and Anuta today (Monday 7th June) while a patrol boat transporting part of the delegation departed Honiara yesterday (Sunday 6Th.
Receiving the donation from Deputy Director (supervising), Extension, and her team was PM’s Chief of Staff Robson Tana Djokivic.
While acknowledging MAL for the generous support, Mr. Djokovic said the seeds, tools and equipment made available by MAL will assist the remote communities of Tikopia and Anuta to establish nurseries, promote income generating opportunities, further enhance agricultural developments and support their rural livelihood activities.
Deputy Director (supervising) Extension, Lily Wame said MAL is pleased to assist the communities and also thanked PMO for making the trip possible to guarantee such important support reached the remote islands.
She said the assistance was part of the ongoing support programme of the ministry under Livelihood and also part of the Government Livelihood Sector initiative under Covid-19 Strategy for the Agriculture Sector to ensure farming groups, communities and institutions establish and expand their food gardens with early maturing vegetable seeds and basic farming tools to increase food production capability and also subsidize food cost as aligned to the national government food security programme to counter the impacts of Covid-19.
The support was co-funded by the Solomon Islands Government (SIG) through MAL and the British High Commission Office in Honiara.
