SOLOMON ISLANDERS TOLD TO EAT MORE LOCALLY GROWN FOOD
Hon Augustine Auga-Minister for Agriculture and Livestock Development and MP for Lau and Baelelea. Photo credit: GCU.
The Minister for Agriculture and Livestock has encouraged Solomon Islanders to consume large amounts of locally grown food to prevent “non-communicable or lifestyle diseases”, currently on the rise in the country.
Augustine Auga made the statement last Friday when he visited communities engaged in backyard farming in Honiara with a team from the Ministry.
A government statement says non-communicable diseases are a threat to the economy with health authorities reporting some disturbing figures in Solomon Islands.
Minister Auga told the farmers, facts coming from the Ministry of Health regarding the seriousness of NCD’s such as diabetes was disturbing, with diabetes fast increasing at an alarming rate.
Minister Auga encouraged his fellow Solomon Islanders to change their lifestyles and consumption habits before diabetes becomes an epidemic.
He said health is everybody’s business and to have a healthy life, the nation has to have enough healthy and nutritious local food.
It was reported that in 2013 most of the beds within the National Referral Hospital was taken up by patients diagnosed with NCD’s.