Page 24 - IB Jan 2018

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SPORTS OPINION

Drought affects Vanuatu crops

By Samisoni Pareti are farmers and live with their families in
southeast Efate.
JACKSSON Kalses describes himself as a Maramo and Karai are into freshwater
small-time farmer in east Efate, the island ‘tilapia’ fish breeding and sell these by the
in which Port Vila, the national capital of roadside next to their farms. They said
Vanuatu sits. that like Kalses, they also grow pineapples
From the income he gets from his veg- to supplement their income.
etable farm of mainly cabbage, tomato “I like networking on linking growers
and beans, Kalses provides for his young like us to the markets as it helps me de-
family including his three children who velop new ideas,” added Kalses.
currently attend elementary school.
“I have up to five hectares of land but
I only farm about one hectare of that,” Lui’s one of the world’s best cocoa growers
Kalses tells me. Lui’s one of the world’s best cocoa
“I’ve been farming for the last two to THAT size doesn’t matter is so true for was studying there in
three years now, selling mostly to su- cocoa farmer Moli Lui. 1996 when he heard
permarkets and to the Central Market in He lives with his family and attends Sir Julias uttered those
Port Vila sometimes. I also do sell some to his cocoa farm in Tapunveresake on words.
vegetables to Iririki Island Resort, but I’m the small island of Malo, lying off the For Halili though,
not a big supplier.” southern coast of Santo. inspirational quotes
As if reading my mind, Kalses didn’t Out of a population of only 5,000, are only one side of
wait for my next question as he remarked: Lui overcome all odds to be declared the story about Lui.
“My biggest problem is water. During the among one of the world’s top 50 cocoa She should know be-
off-season, I am unable to grow many growers. His name is among those cause as the Development Manager for
vegetables due to lack of rain. that will be selected the world’s top 10 World Vision in Vanuatu, she works
“This usually happens during the cocoa growers at a ceremony in Paris, with the Malo cocoa grower.
months of August to December every year. France. “Lui is just one of our most hard-
That’s when I hardly have any vegetables Judging is based on the quality of working farmers,” says Halili. “He
to sell, which is bad for me because the cocoa beans a grower produces. For has been with World Vision’s cocoa
shortage of vegetables causes prices to Lui, his cocoa beans that were sold growing programme for only five years
shoot sky high.” to a chocolate manufacturer in New but the quality of his cocoa beans has
He said the good months are the wet Zealand won a silver award. been exceptional.
seasons of January to July each year. But So what is his secret? “He takes in all the expert advise
the abundance of vegetables while good When I posed this to him during last about attending to his cocoa trees,
for customers becomes a nightmare to October’s inaugural Pacific Week of ensuring that they were trimmed and
growers like Kalses as the oversupply Agriculture in Port Vila, Lui reached protected from disease.”
naturally sees prices hitting rock bottom. into his pocket and took out a folded Under the World Vision programme
To overcome the challenge, the northern piece of paper, which he opened and that Halili manages, farmers like Lui
Efate landowner and farmer says he is read: “Small is beautiful, its powerful learnt farming best practices, are of-
now opting for cash crops that grow well and practical.” fered cocoa seedlings and financial
in drier conditions. The crop of choice for He explained through his interpreter, literacy training.
him is pineapple. Joana Halili that he carries this quote From these trainings, Lui had learnt
“The other way around the dry condi- in his pocket all the time to inspire the way to produce quality cocoa
tion is for government to assist us with and motivate him. The same piece of beans, as well as value adding. He
irrigation or at least give us water tanks. paper also contained another quota- assists his wife produce cocoa juice,
Another way around the problem would tion which says: “Change never comes cocoa jam as well as cocoa powder,
be drilling bore holes, something that without some pain, and achievements something like hot chocolate that is of-
is too expensive for small growers like can’t occur unless there is some hon- fered to children in the local school.
myself to fund on our own.” est sweat.” “Lui’s wife uses cocoa jams in her
Sitting next to Kalses during the in- He got this last quote from Papua baking and cocoa drink is offered to
terview were Reuben Maramo and John New Guinea politician and former their children,” explains Halili.
Karai. Although both are originally from Prime Minister, Sir Julias Chan. He r editor@islandsbusiness.com
the outer islands of Vanuatu, the two men

24 Islands Business, January 2018