BY TONY IROGA
Work on the country’s largest rice farm project in North Guadalcanal constituency continues to face disturbance from villagers near the site.
Yesterday police were called to disperse and remove a road-block by the villagers, after they used a tractor and logs to barricade the road and a constituency truck to transport people to man the road block.
The red constituency truck, plate number MD8075, is one of the 13 trucks which were distributed on June 11 to support existing initiatives within the 12 Green Economic Zones (GEZs) across the constituency.
Police have proposed to mediate between the company and the villagers in a meeting tomorrow to clarify a court order preventing disturbances from them on the operation.
It is understood that a court order is active against two ringleader individuals, one of whom led yesterday’s road block. Instead of arresting this individual, police are proposing to give the villagers their final chance to stop disturbing the rice farm project operations.
Guadalcanal PPC Edwin Sevoa in a meeting with the company and its lawyer at the Henderson police station yesterday afternoon said the company and its legal lawyer should meet with the villagers tomorrow at the station to explain the court order to the villagers.
“Similar cases we’ve come across, that’s what we did. Let’s put it this Wednesday, 1pm, the venue is here. We’ll consult with Tetere police and the landowners to come too,” PPC Sevoa said, to which the company’s lawyer agreed.
A senior police officer at the meeting said erecting road blocks is already a criminal act.
Despite $40,000 in road access fees, damage fee and other fees already paid, along with pigs presented through chupu ceremonies, the villagers are still disturbing and harassing the company.
The rice farm is being developed by the South Pacific Economy and Technology Development Co Ltd (SPETD), which is one of two plots which total to 495 hectares that is set to become the country’s biggest rice farm once operational.
The second plot was officially launched on June 4 with a traditional chupu for the landowners.
So far, 40 hectares have been cleared with SPETD ready to sign a deal with a private bomb clearance company worth $1 million to have them clear the site from UXO (unexploded WWII ordnance).
Established early last year, SPETD began trial farming in another smaller plot in GPPOL which successfully resulted in the harvest and processing of fresh rice that were ready to hit the local market.
Prior scientific tests had allowed SPETD to bring in rice species and fertilisers which suited the soil type in the GPPOL plains.
SPETD’s aim is for Solomon Islanders to access fresh rice at very affordable prices, which, once operations run smoothly, can be achieved in a couple of months.
Currently, prices of rice in Solomon Islands are becoming too expensive, and SPETD’s project aims to reverse this.
The company also has plans to venture into sharing their expertise in rice farming to interested local farmers.
Photo: Supplied
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