Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele on Friday officially opened a new copra and cocoa buying centre in Tarekukure, Choiseul province.
Prime Minster Manele led a delegation of government officials to Choiseul Province to reopen the centre.
PM Manele was accompanied by Minister of Infrastructure Development (MID), Manasseh Maelanga, Minister of Commerce, Industry, Labor and Immigration Harry Kuma, Chairlady of the CEMA Cabinet- Sub-committee Cathy Nori.
In the presence of a sizeable crowd at Terakukure, the Prime Minister paid tribute to the landowners of the Buying Center for making their land available for development.
He acknowledged the landowners of Choiseul for their contribution to development by making their land available.
PM Manele reaffirmed that the reopening of the Tarekukure Buying Center is part of the revitalization and recapitalization strategy that the Government for National Unity and Transformation (GNUT) continues to implement.
He further underscored the intention of the revitalization and recapitalization strategy, stating that its goal is to revive the agriculture sector and empower farmers to access economic opportunities and growth.
With the opening of the Tarekukure Buying Center, the PM said, the government is bringing market services and fairer prices to farmers in rural areas, adding that farmers will no longer have to rely on sea freight to take their products to Honiara.
The Prime Minister emphasized that under the revitalization strategy, the government will continue to support farmers every step of the way by upgrading facilities and improving infrastructure, ensuring that farmers not only sell their products but also have access to better equipment and training.
Choiseul Province is one of the largest producers of cocoa and copra. Before the ethnic tension period, the province could produce 150–180 metric tonnes of cocoa and copra per month.
“The government is committed to ensuring CEMA is fully equipped in terms of manpower and resources. The success of CEMA will be evident in rural areas, where farmers will actively engage in cocoa and copra production.”
GNUT’s predecessor, the Democratic Coalition Government for Advancement (DCGA), revived CEMA by committing the government at that time to a revitalization and recapitalization strategy for 2021–2027.
The strategy was signed in 2021. Part of the plan to revive CEMA includes the financial commitments made by government ministries—Ministry of Infrastructure Development (MID), Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, and Ministry of Commerce, Industry, Labour and Immigration—to resource and restore CEMA.
The Tarekukure Buying Centre in Choiseul Province is the newest Buying Center in the country, following the opening of Buying Centers in Pakera (Makira Ulawa Province), Malu’u (Malaita Province), Noro (Western Province) and Manekalaku (East Guadalcanal).
- OPMC
