THE Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAL), Dr Samson Viulu has announced that the ministry is planning to revive the Annual Agriculture show and possibly combine it with the Annual Trade and Cultural Show.
The Annual Agriculture Show and Annual Trade and Cultural Show were popular activities on the national calendar but have gone dormant.
Dr Viulu made the announcement at the opening of the World Food Day celebrations in Honiara recently.
He said the revival of the Annual Agriculture Show and Annual Trade and possibly combining it with the Trade and Cultural Show is to promote the many different agricultural crops and produces the country has.
Dr Viulu also announced that MAL is advancing its export plans and will commence the exportation of fruits such as mangos, melons, pineapples and papayas with a soon-to-be installed Vapor Heat Treatment Plant procured from Japan.
He said MAL is also working very closely with the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) to increase the volume of the monthly export of fresh yellow cassava to Australia.
The MAL PS also announced the construction of a fumigation chamber, which he said is also about to begin to enable the exportation of fresh pineapples to Australia and this will commence around the third quarter of 2025.
He also announced that MAL is working to operationalize the recently signed Memorandum of Understanding with the People’s Republic of China (PRC) on the Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures on coffee export to China, adding that coffee is a lucrative industry.
By IAN LADDS OSO
Solomon Star, Honiara
