THE Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources (MFMR) is boosting Seaweed, Tilapia, and Sea Cucumber farming in the country with special programs to support farmers.
These marine commodities are among the Ministry’s strategic investment programs aimed at stimulating rural economic growth and food security in the country.
Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Hon. Nestor Giro highlighted these investments in Parliament last week.
The Government has provided SB$7 million dollars in this year’s supplementary budget in addition to SB$0.5 million in the Ministry’s development budget to progress its Seaweed farming projects.
The Ministry aims to produce 10,000 metric tons of dry seaweed by December 2026. This will be a 3-fold increase from the current annual production of 2,500 metric tons.
To reach this target, the Ministry is working to establish 50 new farms annually, support existing farms to double or triple their annual production by mid-2025, engage and support investors to work with farmers to grow production capacity, and secure technical support from China and Indonesia to improve the quality of dried seaweed products and to address infrastructure needs.
As part of the program, the Ministry is soon organizing a round-table meeting with licensed exporters and other investors to support the private sector in growing the industry.
The Ministry’s other strategic investment program is the hatchery breeding of Tilapia in the Ministry’s aquaculture facility in Aruligo, Northwest Guadalcanal.
The first bunch of GIFT Tilapia broodstock is expected in April. This is the first intake after bringing the hatchery to be fully functional in the first quarter of 2025.
A strategic intervention plan to promote tilapia cultivation in the country to meet community socio-economic livelihood options will be in place before the importation of the GIFT Tilapia broodstock.
The Ministry’s other investment is the commercial cultivation of sea cucumber resources.
In pursuing this program, the Ministry is working with a local company to establish a commercial facility to culture sea cucumber species. The company has secured a site in Choiseul Province to build its hatchery and grow-out systems.
These investment programs will contribute effectively to economic growth and livelihood safety nets for rural people.
Source: Government Communication Unit