Director of CEMA Cabinet Sub-Committee Mr. Martin Housanau shake hands with Prime Minister and leader of the Democratic Coalition Government for Advancement (DCGA) Hon Manasseh Sogavare, MP during the launching program today.
CEMA commits to benefit rural farmers.
The Commodities Export Marketing Authority (CEMA) is committed to benefit the rural farmers throughout the country who are not accessing the domestic and export markets and to boost the rural economy.
This, according to the Director of the CEMA Cabinet Sub Committee Mr Martin Housanau, is the main objective of the CEMA Revitalisation and Recapitalisation Strategy 2021- 2027, which was launched in Honiara today.
“This is the essence of the Strategy, to reach out to our remote farmers and farms, to give some sense of hope and self-actualisation to our rural farmers and foremost to encourage our rural families especially the youths to get involved in commercial farming,” Housanau said.
According to Housanau, 85% of our entire population are currently residing or living in the rural villages, out of which nearly 45% made up of youths.
As part of the Democratic Coalition Government for Advancement (DCGA)’s priority policies and under its Fundamental Reforms 2019- 2023, the strategy is based on four guiding principles.
Hence, these principles are to provide and facilitate access to domestic and export markets for all rural farmers throughout the Country and to motivate and encourage farmers to improve quality, and increase gross domestic production of local commodities by 10% per annum for domestic consumption (food security) and export markets.
Further, to aggressively pursue processing & manufacturing of all raw materials into value added products for domestic consumption and export markets; and sustainably provide employment, income generating, and improve the livelihood for all rural farmers, villagers and grow the rural economy.
The strategy will be implemented in three phases in order to enable CEMA achieve the vital principles in the seven-year period from 2021 – 2027.
These phases include enhancing CEMA capacity and ability to improve its regulatory and trading functions, re-connecting its domestic, regional and international marketing network to re-engage in the purchasing, selling and exporting of all commodities listed under Schedule 1 of the CEMA Act 1984 and to consolidate and organise cluster rural farmers value chain according to exportable commodities.
The Democratic Coalition Government for Advancement (DCGA) is fully committed to the implementation of its policy priorities in the interest of economic empowerment, national stability and the wellbeing of its citizens.
GCU Press