BY CHRIS ALEX
A new government initiative is bringing hope and progress to copra and cocoa traders on Ugi Island. Thanks to the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock’s (MAL) Revolving Fund, local traders are seeing real improvements in their daily work.
Jerry Wala, a longtime copra buying agent on the island, is one of the many who has benefited from the program. He says the support has helped solve a big problem: getting goods from place to place on an island with no roads.
“Before, we could only load nine bags of copra using small boats,” Wala said. “Now we can carry up to 30 bags in one trip. It’s a big change.”
What used to take two days now takes just 30 minutes. Wala says it’s also now possible to buy freshly harvested copra on the same day — something that was nearly impossible before.
Wala is thankful to the MAL team and the people of Solomon Islands, whose tax contributions helped fund the project. He also hopes to take the next step by working with farmers to replant coconut trees and keep the trade strong for the future.
“This is just the beginning,” Wala said. “We want to make sure the copra trade on Ugi keeps growing for years to come.”
