Deputy Secretary Special Duties (DSSD - Ag) of MAL Simon Baete
MAL Pleased with Policy Consultation Outcomes.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAL) is very pleased with the outcome of the Agriculture Sector Development Policy consultations and thanked all that have participated and contributed constructively over the two days event.
Acting Deputy Secretary Special Duties (DSSD) of MAL Simon Baete at the close of the workshop said he was overwhelmed by the level of participation and contributions by all participating partners and stakeholders who are the active players of our agriculture sector.
He said the MAL technical team will over the next few days compile all the findings and finalize the policy document before organizing another session for all our donor partners before the lapse of the 100 days of the Government of National Unity and Transformation GNUT mid-September 2024.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAL) in collaboration with its key partners and stakeholders hosts the consultation to get invaluable inputs and insights towards the formulation of a newly designed Agriculture Sector Development Policy (ASDP) that will transform agriculture into a resilient, sustainable, and profitable sector that benefits all Solomon Islanders.
Additionally, MAL through the new policy aims to recreate the agriculture and livestock industry into a more lucrative sector, attractive to our young generations and not just the elderly, that will actively engage and involve a wider demography of Solomon Islands.
This is because our young people are no longer interested to work in any agriculture field in the Solomon Islands anymore but have continued to flood agriculture farms in Australia and New Zealand.
Therefore, the Government for National Unity and Transformation (GNUT) in its overall policy statement intends to develop the sector to become the economic backbone of Solomon Islands by prioritizing the agriculture sector, making it everyone’s business for long term sustenance of our economic development.
The GNUT government through MAL projected that the ASDP will capture and prioritize the empowering of our young people, women, and vulnerable groups, fostering a new generation of productive farmers who are equipped to lead the agriculture sector into the future through addressing the following policy areas.
The consultation which ended Wednesday 21st August, convened together officials from various government ministries and stakeholders including senior officials from the Prime Minister’s Office, Ministry of National Planning and Development Coordination, Ministry of Finance and Treasury, Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology (MECDM), Ministry of Commerce, Industry, Labor and Immigration (MCILI), Ministry of Provincial Government and Institutional Strengthening (MPGIS), CEMA CSC, livestock and crop farmers, agriculture commodity exporters and importers, gender and people with special needs, value adding stakeholders and others from the private sector.