BY JOHN HOUANIHAU
THE Honourable Premier of Guadalcanal Province, Francis Sade has demanded the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock’s Permanent Secretary to pursue the national government to impose an effective ban on the sales of betel nut on Guadalcanal.
Premier Sade made the direct call to the Permanent Secretary, Ethel Francis during the 3 days Premiers Forum held from 22 to 24 September at the Heritage Park Hotel, Honiara.
“I would like to mention here, that it’s about time, that you (Permanent Secretary, Ethel Francis) tell the government to ban the sale of betel nut on Guadalcanal.
“This is important because Guadalcanal is one of the provinces that produce a lot of cocoa and coconut, but since the sale of betel was introduced, no one tends to be involved in purchasing cocoa.
“Such drastic actions must be taken quickly to deal with the issue of betel nut trading, otherwise, it will disturb and disrupt Guadalcanal’s (including the country) most important agricultural commodities such as cocoa or coconut,” Honourable Sade argued.
The theme of this year’s Premiers Forum – “Harnessing National and Provincial Governments Relationships for Positive Political and Economic Development” has triggered the Premier of Guadalcanal to demand an appropriate step to ban the sales of a commodity that thrives well in the informal sector of the country’s economy.
However, the call for the ban would most likely bring a possible criticism from Guadalcanal’s betel nut suppliers and vendors who, like many other vendors within Honiara, have to generate their daily incomes from betel nut trading to support their families.