Solomon Islands Government to import more cattle from Vanuatu

The Solomon Islands Government through the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAL) will import more cattle herds from Vanuatu this year.

This was revealed by the Director of Livestock and Veterinary Services Rarney Keqa in an interview over the weekend.

Keqa said the country was supposed to get more cattle last year.

“Last year government should have imported more cattle from Vanuatu but due to the effect of the cyclone Pam that hit Vanuatu the arrangement was not possible.”

However this year, he added the county is keen to get more cattle shipment from Vanuatu to Solomon Islands this year as part of an effort to revive the cattle industry in the country.

“We are looking forward to importing some more cattle from Vanuatu to help us with the national cattle rehabilitation programme,” he said.

“We are looking at importing a total of 200-500 cattle herds this year,” he added.

He said importing of cattle from Vanuatu is very helpful as a key player in reviving the cattle industry in the country.

He said currently the cattle rehabilitation programme is on schedule and the government is looking forward to expand the cattle project to other parts of the country.

Several years ago, government imported hundreds of herds from Vanuatu and had been breeding it at its Tenavatu cattle farm before distributing it.

Already some of the cattle have been distributed to parts of Guadalcanal, Malaita and over the weekend to the Western province.

Meanwhile, the government run Tenavatu cattle farm in Central Guadalcanal has again live up to its expectation by shipping more than 100 plus cattle herds to one of the distributing cattle farms in the Western province named Ilolo.

The shipment is part of the country’s National Cattle Rehabilitation Programme to rehabilitate the cattle industry in the country.

“This first shipment to the Western Province marks a significant achievement for the rehabilitation project.”

Keqa said Ilolo Cattle farm is ready to receive the cattles. Ilolo cattle farm has about 400 to 500 hectares of land which is able to cater for the first shipment and further future shipments.

Ilolo cattle farm will operate as a breeding and distribution farm in the Western Province for the local small cattle farmers

   
Source:
PACNEWS