BY JOHN HOUANIHAU
THE West New Georgia-Vona Vona Constituency Member of Parliament, Hon. George Temahua, has emphasized the potential of seaweed cultivation, especially for his constituents in the Western province.
During the recent sine die motion in Parliament, Hon. George Temahua expressed hope and desire for seaweed farming as a possible investment for the West New Georgia-Vona Vona Constituency.
Hon. Temahua said seaweed farming is not new to them but needs much more to be done to fully realize the economic benefits of this commodity.
“The seaweed farming in the Solomon Islands began in 1989 through the British overseas development agency. The initial trials were established at Rarumana and Vona Vona, and the results were promising. 10 metric tons of seaweed were produced. The project, however, terminated in 1991,’’ Hon. Temahua expressed in parliament.
He said that there was renewed interest in seaweed farming in 1999, but that was suffered due to the ethnic crisis of 2002.
“By 2002, the European Union funded a rural fishing enterprise project, and the ministry of fisheries revived the idea of seaweed farming and established pilot farms in Langalanga in Malaita and again in Rarumana in west Georgia.
“The success of these trials got wide spread interest at the local and national levels. A national target of 80 dry tons was shaded at that time. Which involved 500 families within a four-year time span,’’ he said.
Hon. Temahua stated that if there were adequate support from the government in continuing this trend, his rural constituents should now be looking at producing up to a thousand dry tons by now.
“The export market demand for seaweed is guaranteed. The sun-dried seaweed was extracted into food and pharmacy products. With adequate government support, we can create thousands of jobs for our rural seaweed farmers,’’ said the MP for West New Georgia, Vona Vona.
He said that despite these potentials, his seaweed farmers are still struggling with their farms.
“They need our support and help. I urge the government to support this industry. We need to ensure adequate financial and technical assistance is given to our seaweed farmers to boost this industry and bring direct economic benefit to our rural people,’’ he said.
West New Georgia-Vona Vona Constituency hosts the country’s second international seaport, Noro, and Munda International Airport.
