Varivao, SAPE Farm and Goshen Enterprise to travel to Australia for Marketing trip
Some of the country’s leading agriculture exporters and producers will be travelling to Australia this month for a marketing trip.
Minister of Foreign Affairs and External Trade, Hon. Jeremiah Manele announced this at the opening of the Taro Pack House in Malaita Province last week.
Minister of Foreign Affairs and External Trade, Hon. Jeremiah Manele during the Taro Pack House opening.
He said the marketing trip is to support exporters to look for market opportunities for agriculture products in the country.
“We are sending representatives from our leading agriculture exporters and producers, namely Varivao, SAPE Farm and Goshen Enterprise, to Australia in the middle of this month for a marketing trip to scout for markets for our taro, cassava and other agriculture products,” he said.
Minister Manele also reiterated that agriculture was one of the sectors identified by the government through its Policy redirection in 2020, that needed support for its national growth and sustainability.
He stated that his Ministry has since been assisting to achieve the policy objective, by supporting several agriculture projects through a World Trade Organization funded program, the Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF)- Enhanced Capabilities of Agriculture Trade (ECAT).
“Good things are happening. Together we can develop our capacity to trade. By developing and broadening our export base, we can trade our way out of Least Developed Country status.”
“Through the EIF support to Varivao limited over the years, the company has been able to export 8 containers of fresh and grated cassava to the Australia and New Zealand markets. In 2022, a total of 60 Metric tons of cassava was exported alone by Varivao Company to Australia and New Zealand,” he said.
The Foreign Affairs Ministry, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock are also working with the Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations (PACER) Plus Implementation Unit, to help agriculture farmers and exporters to meet the export food safety requirement in Australia and New Zealand markets.
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