Agriculture authorities in Vanuatu are supporting the planting of noni to increase production in line with the national Fruits and Vegetables Strategy.
The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD), is creating a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) with a reliable noni organisation, Malo Noni Company (MNC) to achieve this goal.
The organisation will raise noni seedlings to meet the high demand by farmers on Malo.
Under the signed PPP of six months engagement, MNC will establish a nursery to produce 5,000 noni seedlings.
Acting Deputy Director for DARD, Mark Vurobaravu, stated that the signing agreement with MNC is a new page for noni development on Malo.
“Noni is a new cash crop for Vanuatu and Vanuatu has a huge potential in developing this industry.
“Under the Fruits and Vegetables Strategy, noni is a priority crop.”
Mr Vurobaravu added that initially, negotiations of this engagement with MNC started before the Tropical Cyclone (TC) Harold and the timing of this agreement will be a recovery effort to improve the livelihood of the people on Malo after the category 5 cyclone.
“Noni production on Malo will diversify options for farmers to not depend only on copra and cacao but to venture into other crops like noni and other sectors like livestock.
“Noni is a new cash crop that has a high and strong interest among farmers on Malo,” Mr Vurobaravu said.
More than 20 farmers have engaged in noni production through the MNC.
Mr Vurobaravu explained that the agreement between DARD and MNC will see the engagement of 25 famers and according to reports received from MNC and verifications from the Assistant Agriculture Officer on the ground, Bakon Riu, the establishment of nursery is well underway and the distribution of noni seedlings to farmers is ongoing.
“Farmer Moli Mara and owner of MNC has taken the initiative to prove to the government that he is committed to develop the noni industry through his expertise and the capacity that he has.”
Moli Mara is a lead noni famer who rises beyond producing noni seedlings and providing seedlings to farmers while at the same time venturing into producing noni juice, thereby providing an option for market by purchasing noni fruits from farmers and accessing market opportunities for noni juice.
Mr Vurobaravu, said similar agreements were signed between farmers in South Santo and East Santo to produce 20,000 noni seedlings that will contribute to the national target of DARD’s 2020 Business Plan, which is 109,500 seedlings to be distributed and planted this year.
The Director for DARD, Antoine Ravo, said MALFFB is currently working on initiatives such as PPP to fully engage private sectors with its services.
“The government alone cannot implement all activities but it needs private sector to also support the government to meet its national targets,” Director Ravo said.
Mr Ravo said this is the second PPP on noni to support farmers to diversify to other crops, apart from copra.
“We already have cacao, vanilla, pepper and now the introduction of noni and in the future we hope to have a noni factory on Malo.
“I acknowledge the work of farmer Mara who went as far as producing noni juice.
“Eventually when all farmers on Malo are engaged in noni production then we can relook at other options of focusing only on producing noni juice.
“This is a new journey between DARD and MNC. There will be challenges along the way but we hope that at the end of the contract we will reflect on those challenges as opportunities to improve on future plans for the noni industry in Vanuatu,” Mr Ravo said.
The service provider (Malo Noni Company) with the support of the Assistant Agriculture Officer on Malo will carry out follow up programs to ensure delivery of contract and that ensure that noni production will flourish and grow to provide income option to farmers on Malo.
The PPP signing agreement was witnessed by the Director of the Department of Livestock (DoL), Lonny Bong.
Mr Bong said PPP is proven to be an effective strategy for private sector to help strengthen and extend the work of national extension services - a strategy that we would like to consider as “Private sector assists the government to reach the unreachable.
Noni farmer and owner of MNC, Moli Mara, was pleased to acknowledge the agreement signed with DARD to increase noni production on Malo island.
“This signing agreement will enhance the work of agriculture on Malo, especially for noni farming.
“I acknowledge the assistance provided to MNC and local farmers on Malo through this agreement to develop noni production on Malo,” farmer Mara concluded.
Photo supplied Caption: Signing of PPP Agreement by DARD Director, Mr Ravo, and Malo Noni Company Owner, Moli Mara, witnessed by Director for Livestock Department, Mr Bong, and DARD Acting Deputy Director, Mark Vurobaravu