THOUSANDS of coconut seedlings kept about a year at Vavanatita farm in the bush behind Munda will be destined for plantation owners and operators for planting and replanting in the Roviana and Vonavona lagoon regions under a DCC government Rehabilitation programme which has been aimed at revitalising the coconut industry in Solomon Islands.

This is the start of a major Coconut Rehabilitation programme.

The new seedlings have since been collected last weekend and are now stored at the shades outside the main Extension Office in Munda ready to be transported and dropped at various collections points for growers earmarked under the new and historic program across the two lagoon communities in West and South New Georgia.

Of the many out growers to get theirs during this round, does include those who were already identified from last year however because of the overall slowness of the processes our Ministry has got us going this time says Mathew Sakiri, head of the Extension team in Munda.

“We will be sending missions to the two lagoon regions to have the Coconut seedlings dropped off.We have have enough staff and the relevant resources to keep us going.”

The current scheme will involve planting to monitoring Sakiri said so it is not just a give away sort of programme.

The staff of the Extension Office will be expected to visit every recipients so they are kept at arm’s length during which Officers will ensure that the project do produce favorable outcome.

As the program is now out and rolling it is our duty to ensure we identify new ones which we will be included under a new timetable for this year.

The Munda Extension Office looks after three Constituencies under its extension programme.

They are West New Georgia, North New Georgia, South New Georgia/Rendova and Tetepari.

Mr Sakiri said the Extension team Munda are each been allocated specific areas and Ward boundaries in looking after during the entire phase of the project.Each of the officers are responsible for their areas to assist in identifying possible out growers to get help under the current programme.

He said the programme is bound to get a lot of attention and interest from relevant island communities given that coconut is such a ‘very gracious fruit trees’ so we will try our best that the programme do get to the people who will love to have another go at Coconut as a most favored commodity across the islands.

The overall aim of the Coconut rehab programme turned out as a vital policy element of the DCC government to prepare in advance of the final exit of logging.

In the Western Province islanders are in serious business again cooking copra for sale.

“Our Office is very aware there are huge commercial coconut plantation in our immediate duty area which we will try to address,” said Mr Sakiri.

Mr Sakiri said this is a significant policy undertaking for the country and the first for many years conducted specifically for the traditional commodity this country can never go without.

Coconut has been here with us and it will be with us for as long as we look after it.

He said that the number of Coconut trees is more than our total population of our country,.. that is the beauty about this most favored commodity

Similar programs are being conducted elsewhere in the country.

 

By Francis Talasasa

Munda