-Minister Kuma announces introduction of CEMA’s first two fleet of landing crafts under CEO Colin Yow’s plan to support farmers in all provinces
-This will cut the expenses of freight and transport for farmers
BY JOHN HOUANIHAU
The Commodities Export Marketing Authority (CEMA) has proposed the introduction of its first two short-haul landing crafts to improve the collection and transportation of copra, cocoa and other rural commodities from communities across Solomon Islands.
This is a manifest CEMA CEO Colin Yow’s plans to empower farmers by removing high expenses of freighting copra, cocoa and other products to be brought over to Honiara to sell.
Harry Kuma, Minister for Commerce, Industry, Labour and Immigration (MCILI) and Minister responsible for CEMA, made the announcement in a statement on Saturday.
In the statement, Kuma said this is part of CEMA’s ‘Farmers First’ approach which aims to improve market access for rural farmers.
Farmers First is CEO Yow’s initiative which guides CEMA’s operations to ensure that farmers of Solomon Islands are empowered, treated fairly, receive conditions and prices which they truly deserve for their hard work.
Minister Kuma sais the short-haul landing crafts will initially be used to collect copra and cocoa beans from nearby islands, coastal communities and remote pickup points where transport services are limited or unavailable.
He said that the landing crafts intend to help all farmers, including those with only a few bags of produce to sell.
“The real purpose is to serve rural farmers, including those with only one, two, three or five bags. For many families, those few bags can make a real difference,” Minister Kuma said.
He said the landing crafts will operate as feeder vessels and will collect commodities from villages and transfer them to larger ships or consolidation centres for transportation to CEMA’s warehouse in Honiara for export.
He said the system will create a more practical and cost-effective transport chain from rural communities to export markets.
He said the two-landing crafts are only the beginning of a wider fleet development plan of CEMA, as it aims to have at least one short-haul landing craft operating in every province within the next 18 months, by 2027.
“These first two landing crafts are the start of a fleet of short-haul landing crafts that will support coastal trips within the provinces. CEMAs plan is to have at least one short-haul landing craft operating in each province within eighteen months, by 2027,” he said.
Kuma said that each province faces different geographical and transport challenges, and a provincial fleet will help CEMA provide services closer to farmers.
“A short-haul landing craft in each province will help CEMA move closer to farmers and provide a practical service where it is needed most. That is the heart of FARMERS FIRST,” he said.
The short-haul landing crafts are designed for short-distance operations and will be able to make multiple pickups in a single day.
Kuma said they will help solve transport problems that often prevent farmers from selling their produce.
“Guadalcanal for example, transporting 1,000 bags of copra from the Henderson area to CEMA’s warehouse by road can take up to a week because of traffic congestion and other logistical difficulties. Using a landing craft, the same volume could be moved by sea in about one day, depending on weather and loading conditions. This shows how effective these boats can be when used properly,” he said.
He said that many farmers currently wait two, three or even four months for transport to collect their copra or cocoa, while some remote communities are unable to sell their produce at all because transport services are unavailable.
He said that the new crafts will provide both scheduled and responsive collection services from major commodity-producing areas as well as smaller and more remote locations.
“This is an enormous breakthrough for farmers. It means CEMA can begin to provide more regular pickup services, not only from busy areas but also from remote sites where farmers have been waiting too long for transport,” he said.
The proposed short-haul landing craft are 11-metre open-sea landing craft with a four-metre beam and a draft of 0.5 metres. Each craft will have an estimated carrying capacity of between five and six tonnes.
The boats design includes a V-bottom hulls, 800-litre fuel tanks, deck self-drain holes, navigation lights, handrails, bollards, outboard protection rails and hand winches. They will be powered by twin 300-horsepower Yamaha outboard engines.
Construction of the first vessel is expected to be completed within three months, while the second is expected to be completed within four months. Delivery to Honiara is expected to take an additional one to two months, with arrival anticipated between November and December this year.
Minister Kuma said the short-haul design is intentional and that the vessels are not intended to replace larger ships.
“Their strength is in reaching shorter routes more frequently, collecting smaller volumes from farmers and feeding those commodities into the larger transport system,” he said.
He added that transport remains one of the biggest challenges facing rural producers and must be addressed if farmers are to increase production and participate more fully in the cash economy.
“If we want farmers to produce more, we must help solve the transport problem. Farmers cannot fully participate in the cash economy if they have no affordable way to move their products,” he said.
Kuma said that CEMA, led by Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Colin Yow and his management team, will work with farmers, agents, provincial governments, communities and transport operators to ensure the vessels are deployed where they can provide the greatest benefit.
He said that the introduction of the first two landing crafts is a step towards restoring the commodity collection services that CEMA provided to rural communities during the 1990s.
He said the initiative demonstrates the government’s commitment to help farmers improve market access, increase sales and earn more income.
“Farmers First is not just a slogan. It is a commitment to reach farmers, collect their commodities, improve market access and support rural income. These landing crafts are part of that commitment,” he said.
Photo: Supplied
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