Reverend Ierome Faleula
Honourable Ministers of Cabinet
Associate Ministers and Members of Parliament
Members of the Diplomatic Corp
Representatives from World Bank and IFAD
Representatives of the Farmers Associations and Business Community
Village, Women and Youth Representatives
Ladies and Gentlemen
I extend a warm welcome to all of you this morning and it gives me great pleasure to give the keynote address this morning during the launch of the Samoa Agriculture and Fisheries Productivity and Marketing Project, or SAFPROM.
There are three key partners in this project – the Government of Samoa, World Bank and the International Fund for Agriculture Development, IFAD. The SAFPROM was officially signed in October 2019 between the three parties and today sees the beginning of its work which is directed towards the farmers and fishers of Samoa.
Our Government’s initiative to seek funding through partnership with the World Bank and IFAD has seen the realization of SAFPROM. This partnership has helped the Government of Samoa secure USD$23.55 million in grants over a period of 5 years to support the development of our agriculture and fisheries sector. Through this investment in our farmers and fishers, it is the hope of our Government that Samoa can truly turn the agriculture and fisheries sector into a commercial entity which would help us address food and nutrition insecurity issues, create employment through our own land and marine resources, increase our exports and contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.
SAFPROM’s development objective is “To increase the productivity and access to markets by selected producers, to improve management of targeted productive natural resources and, in the event of an Eligible Crisis or Emergency, to provide an immediate response to the Eligible Crisis or Emergency”
Essentially, SAFPROM supports the development of agriculture as a commercial entity, at the same time promote that balance to ensure farming systems which not only generate income, but are resilient and environmentally sustainable.
The project’s activities will be expected to support the development of infrastructure which will help the growth of agriculture in Samoa. It will support the development of plantation roads in selected villages in Savaii and the construction of a veterinarian lab and a new office complex for the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries in Savaii. It will also support the construction of a packhouse to be used by exporters of Savaii. It will also support the most vulnerable farmers in Savaii, to improve their farming practices and become more financially secure. Our Government has always preached that “what is good for Upolu is also good for Savaii” hence the bulk of the activities of SAFPROM being in Savaii is a testimony of our Government’s commitment to continue putting those words into action.
Aside from its support to Savaii, the project will also complete the development of the Samoa Static Slaughter Unit in Upolu which was started under the Samoa Agriculture Competitiveness Enhancement Project or SACEP, which was funded by the World Bank and completed in 2018. The project is also expected to revive its Matching Grant Scheme which was also started under SACEP and it encourages the involvement of women and youth.
For many years, our Government has been pushing the development of agriculture to become an agribusiness venture. It has seen our Government look at securing funds to continue those activities which focuses on this. First through SACEP and now through SAFPROM. The efforts of our Government will be fruitless if our people and especially our youth do not utilize these opportunities to build their farms to a level where we are no longer just subsistence but where we are commercial. These funding opportunities are only short term, but if used wisely, it can create long term sustainability for our economy. I can see youth represented during this launch and I encourage you to create a movement and turn our soil into the gold that it contains. It is your duty to move the agriculture sector forward and turn it into a business venture to create employment, reduce imports and increase exports for the much-needed revenue our country needs for its development. There is no other person that can make these changes except you, and I challenge you to utilize this great opportunity and create an agribusiness movement for our country.
I would like to thank the World Bank and IFAD for their financial support to the development of our agriculture and fisheries sector and I wish everyone well and hope to see this project bear fruits for the benefit of our country.
It is now my pleasure to officially launch the Samoa Agriculture and Fisheries Productivity and Marketing Project.
God Bless and Soifua
