Solomon Islands’ agriculture delegation visits Papua New Guinea

By JAMES LARAKI of NARI

A delegation from the Solomon Islands is visiting National Agriculture Research Institute (NARI) this week to enhance partnership between the Solomon Islands ministry of agriculture and livestock (MAL) and NARI.
The delegation, led by the secretary to the minister for agriculture and livestock, Dr Ravindra Joshi and director extension services, Mr Michael Ho’ota is visiting NARI to further strengthen collaboration between the two organisations.

Solomon delegation leader Dr Ravindra Joshi (left) and director extension services Michael Ho’ota listening to presentation by NARI project leaders at the NARI head office at Bubia outside Lae

In welcoming the delegation, NARI director general, Dr Raghunath Ghodake, said that NARI was looking forward to the collaboration between the two organisations under the recently-signed memorandum of understanding for the Western Pacific EU/ACP science and technology programme.
He also agreed that there was considerable scope for further interaction between the two organisations in the areas of information and knowledge-sharing, technology adaptation and piloting, as well as out-scaling and up-scaling activities.
Dr Ghodake said that as a way forward, there was a need for further dialogue involving officials and experts from both sides to interact and decide on specific areas of collaboration, processes, mechanisms, modus operandi, resources and timelines.
These could then be reflected in a bilateral understanding between NARI and MAL and taken further from there.
He said that the two organisations would also look at opportunities available to source funds from donors for collaborative projects and programmes.
The delegation will have discussion and interaction with various projects implemented by NARI including the EU/ACP S&T which MAL and the Vanuatu Agricultural Research and Technical Centre are part of.
The MAL will be looking at strengthening their partnership with NARI in assisting Solomon Islands research and development capacities in the areas of agriculture planning, aquaculture, small livestock, feed development, agriculture market information, food processing and value adding, and crop production.
Possibilities of extending NARI released technologies to the PNG farming communities to the Solomon Islands will also be looked at.
An agreement in a form of an MOU is expected to be signed between the two organisations during the week to further strengthen their partnership, which will be effected through the exchange of information, exchange of scientists, trainings, workshops and conference relating to agriculture research and development in the Solomon Islands and PNG.