rice farming

The long-term plan is to create opportunities for Public Private Partnership (PPP) commercial rice projects to cultivate rice locally.

This would address the domestic market’s demand and more importantly help the government through its disaster food response as well as develop a Vanuatu Rice Strategy road map for the industry.

Minister for Agriculture, Hosea Nevu has assured rice farmers that the ministry will continue to support them by providing technical husbandry and family farming training on rice cultivation.

The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) highlighted the success of a farmer from Tanna who began planting rice three years ago.

Today, Nari Letaka of Lenaken Village in Middle Bush is providing rice as food for his family and selling rice locally.

Letaka said he has been growing the local rice he found in his garden, while weeding.

He said he believes that the seed of the rice plant comes from the seeds planted in 1970s rice programme.