The World Bank which will provide funding and technical assistance towards agriculture and livestock projects in three Provinces of Solomon Islands will not support Kava farming.
This was revealed in a consultative meeting in Kira Kira, the Provincial Capital of Makira Ulawa Province March 17, 2021 which was sponsored by the World Bank under the Solomon Islands Agriculture and Rural Transformation Project.
The Project will kick off in Guadalcanal, Malaita and Makira Ulawa Provinces towards the end of the year or in early 2022.
The Technical Advisor of the Rural Development Programme which is a program of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, Mark Johnston told the participants that the World Bank, the United Nations and the World Health Organizations have all agreed that Kava farming will not receive World Bank funding assistance because Kava is rated as a drug.
He said, the World Bodies have agreed that heavy kava consumption could have undesirable social impacts on communities therefore, people investing on Kava farming would not qualify to receive funding assistance from the World Bank.
But Mr Johnston said piggery, poultry and food crop and vegetable farmers as well as cocoa and coconut farmers could apply for funding and technical assistance from the World Bank through the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock and its Rural Development Program (RDP).
He added, the World Bank Agriculture Project would also not provide financial and technical assistance to cattle farming because it has negative impacts on the environment and in some cases villagers are facing land shortages.
By George Atkin Kira Kira Correspondent
