BY BEN BILUA
Gizo
THE Member of the Western Provincial Assembly for Ward 3 has expressed disappointment over the decision to end food relief assistance, saying communities in Simbo are still struggling to recover from the devastation caused by Cyclone Maila.
Gideon Tuke said many families lost all of their food gardens during the cyclone and remain dependent on external assistance while they re-establish their crops.
He said food supplies distributed after the disaster have now run out, leaving many households in desperate need of continued government support.
“On the part of food supplies, we still need assistance. For Simbo we need another three more months before we can harvest our garden food.
“Also note that the island was covered with salt water, meaning no crops survived after the cyclone. Even cassava and potato plants withered and died,” Tuke said.
He said assumptions that communities should now be relying on their food gardens do not reflect the reality on the ground.
“To say that gardens are now ready and my people should now rely on food gardens is an understatement,” Tuke said.
He explained that establishing new gardens takes time, especially after farmland has been affected by seawater intrusion.
“It is just three months after the cyclone and they think my people can now rely on their gardens? That is impossible,” Tuke said.
He urges the government and humanitarian partners to extend food relief assistance for at least another three months to help affected families until their crops are ready for harvest.
Tuke said continued support is critical to prevent hardship among vulnerable households as Simbo communities work to rebuild their livelihoods following one of the most destructive cyclones to hit the province in recent years.
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