The World Bank Implementation support mission team to the Solomon Islands Agriculture and Rural Transformation (SIART) project recently paid a visit to the Auki and Suava Bay Economic Growth Centre.
The team began the visit to the Suava Bay Economic Growth Centre in Lau Mbaelelea, North Malaita before travelled to Auki.
The purpose of visiting the Suava Bay Economic Growth Centre was to learn on the ground of how the SIART Project could fit into the agricultural sector in the area. Especially in supporting the eligible Agribusiness Producers Organizations (ABPOs).
The team held two SIART Project awareness sessions at Uru uru and Sulagwalu community in Lau and Mbaelelea Constituency.
In Auki, the team held a courtesy meeting with the Provincial Deputy Premier, Joe Heroau, Acting Provincial Secretary, David Filia Tuita, and the Provincial senior planning officials, and did the eligibility and impact screening of the proposed MAL development sites.
“Malaita Provincial Government is committed to support the agricultural development in Malaita Province. The land spaces allocated for the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock are still kept and are available for you to develop,” said Heroau.
In thanking the Malaita Provincial Government, Louisa Fakaia, SIART Project Manager said the poultry and pig slaughter slabs would adopt a public private partnership investment model.
“The slabs will be leased to interested private businesses to operate them for profits,” she said. “There are reasons to have these investment infrastructures in provincial land, especially for sustainable operation.”
The team also met and learned lessons from the SCALE Program field experiences, which would guide the SIART Project implementation with the ABPOs at the community level.
And how the Project could coordinate with other development partners at the provincial level to avoid implementation duplication in the same communities.
It visited the proposed MAL land spaces for the rebuilding of Auki office at the former MAL Auki office land plot, poultry and pig slaughter slabs at the MAL area near Fiu River, and met with an identified Agribusiness producers organization at Gounatafu community, West Kwaraae.
Son Thanh Vo, Co- leader of the World Bank SIART implementation support team thanked MAL and SIART team, especially the Malaita MAL Chief Field Officer and his staff for their organization and coordination of the World Bank and SIART team visit in Malaita.
The World Bank Implementation support mission was to follow up on the project implementation progress in the three project provinces of Malaita, Guadalcanal, and Makira Ulawa.
Source: Press Release, Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock
