NEWSPAGE 15 August
2011

(Photo: University of Auckland)

(Photos: Savali News)

SAMOA: Huge potential for nonu export recognised
Source: Savali News

Deputy Prime Minister Fonotoe Pierre Lauofo, who has just returned from a fact-finding trip to China is confident of the lucrative potential of nonu exports to China.

“The trip has been a real eye-opener for us,” said Fonotoe, who is also trade minister.

During the 10-day visit to Shanghai, Fonotoe and his delegation inspected New Zealand-based Chinese businessman Tupailelei Jack Chen’s processing factories.

Tupailelei - in a partnership with Pure Pacifika Ltd - is investing in a 500-acre nonu farm and nursery at Sasina, Savaii.

“The good thing about this deal is that there is no middleman,” said Fonotoe.

“The nonu fruits are collected then transported to a warehouse at Vaitele. It is then shipped to China where it is processed into a range of nonu juice or nonu-supplemented juice products.

“From what I gathered, Tupailelei wants as much as four (40’x40’) containers of nonu a week. That is a huge market for our nonu.

“And the best part about nonu is that it grows wild here. From what we’ve seen, it can grow at any landscape, particularly, regions where there is plenty of sunshine and not much moisture. There are huge tracts of unused land in Savaii that nonu can really grow well.

“The fact that it is not affected by any disease or pests, does not need expensive fertilizers or chemicals is in line with our needs and our export requirements. It is a purely organic tree and fruit.”

During the visit, Fonotoe said, Tupailelei’s line of nonu juice was officially launched into the Chinese market.

“The response was very encouraging. A huge banquet was hosted and nonu juice was provided to the guests. It is very sweet - unlike the nonu juice we know here - and the Chinese really got into it.”


Ava

During the visit, the delegation was also introduced to the potential for ava export.

“They are also experimenting with ava juice, ava-supplemented juice or pharmaceutical products using ava as a base. From what I was told, the demand for ava could be as much as a container of ava a week to China.”

Fonotoe said other likely fruits and crops from Samoa were also discussed.

“For juice products, there is potential for pineapple, sasalapa (graviola) and misiluki bananas.

“The reality now is, the Chinese market is there and it is up to us to look at crops that can be exported to China. The focus perhaps is to look at trees that we tend to overlook, that grow wild here, but has commercial potential in China’s huge market.

“Crops that do not require a huge amount of investment and are disease-free. The good thing about the Chinese market is that it is not as stringent in bio-security measures like our traditional markets of New Zealand and Australia.”

Fonotoe said that government is already onboard with its recent Agriculture Sector Plan promoting the planting and harvesting of fruit trees.

“The ongoing nation-wide plantation road upgrade is also essential to these export trade ventures that are now developing.

“International shipping and trans-shipment is an issue that we can resolve and develop as we go along. Once volume is generated, teething shipping problems we have been experiencing in recent times can also be easily resolved.”

Government, Fonotoe added, perhaps need also to review its land leases.

“A lot of land leased out by government, at the moment, is not being fully utilized. There are several 100-acre leases at Aleisa where there is little or no development whatsoever. My preference is to review these leases, and allocate it to people who are keen and willing to develop it into sprawling crop farms in line with government’s export vision.

Fonotoe also alluded to perhaps targeting niche markets instead of focusing on import substitution industries.

“For instance, instead of trying to supplement imported flour with developing local breadfruit flour, why not develop breadfruit flour to produce an assortment of breadfruit snacks, for instance, breadfruit chips. Like corn chips and potato chips. There is only so much breadfruit out there. Tapioca chips, as any traveller knows, is very popular on Air New Zealand flights.

“These niche products provide a much higher return for our limited crops.”
 

Photo Caption: Samoan Deputy Prime Minister Fonotoe Pierre Lauofo.

(Photo: J. Kneubuhl)

AMERICAN SAMOA: ASCC announces revised Fall 2011 schedule
Source: American Samoa Community College Press Release

As recently publicized in the local media, the American Samoa Community College
(ASCC) has revised its schedule for the fall 2011 semester, with instruction now set to begin on September 6th, and with all of the steps which preclude the beginning of a semester similarly moved to a later date. Work currently continues apace with extensive renovations to the ASCC campus, but unforeseen circumstances have made it necessary for the College to allow approximately two more weeks of leeway for the contractors to complete their work.

As part of the revised schedule, the Placement Test for incoming students will take place on August 15th and 16th, with the first session at 9 a.m. and the second at 1 p.m. A late Placement Test will also be offered on August 18th. New Student Orientation has been re-scheduled for August 19th, with sessions at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. Students can register for Evening Classes on August 23rd and 24th, from 3 to 5 p.m., and registration for new students only will take place August 25th, 26th, and 29th. Continuing and returning students can register from August 30th through September 2nd. In addition to regular instruction beginning, the College will process late admissions and registration on Tuesday and Wednesday, September 6th and 7th. Anyone seeking more information on any of these activities can call the ASCC Admissions & Records Office at 699-9156, Ext. 411, 412, or 379.

Forty classrooms and four science labs on the ASCC campus are now deep into the process of undergoing a complete overhaul, with 20 classrooms being upgraded to “smart” classrooms with enhanced audio/visual and internet capabilities as learning aids. Besides work on classrooms in the main “quad” area of the ASCC campus, other areas which will have a new and improved look this fall include the ROTC classrooms located in the ASCC Gym, as well as the Institute of Trades & Technology building, the Art Building, the English Language Institute/Upward Bound building, the second building now used by the Nursing Department and the Office of Institutional Effectiveness. Moefa’auo Bill Emmsley is serving as the Project Director, in collaboration with Project Designer Reuben Siatu’u, P.E., and Project Superintendent Loligi S. Seumanutafa. With the project funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), the College continues to work closely with John Utu, local Field Marshall for ARRA Projects.

“We appreciate the leadership that Moefa’auo, Reuben, and Loligi are bringing to this project, as well as the support of John Utu,” said ASCC President Dr. Seth Galea’i. The seven contractors working on the ASCC renovations are Manuolevasa & Sons Construction; Nana's Construction; Quality Paint Construction; Tony's Construction; Island Development Construction; Space Makers Construction; and, Roy Willis Construction.

For easy reference, the College’s revised schedule for the fall 2011 semester is also posted online at the ASCC website: www.amsamoa.edu.

Photo Caption: ASCC Admissions Staff.

(Photo: 3 News)

COOK ISLANDS: Cook Islands Prime Minister makes first formal visit to New Zealand
Source: 3 News
 

Cook Islands Prime Minister Henry Puna will visit New Zealand this week to further the relationship between the two countries.

Prime Minister John Key says he looks forward to meeting Mr Puna, who arrives today for a three-day visit.

“The Cook Islands and New Zealand share the closest of ties, with Cook Islanders also holding New Zealand citizenship, and it is a relationship we value highly,” Mr Key says.

The Pacific Islands Forum will be held next month, and Mr Key says he and Mr Puna will discuss “a range of issues of mutual interest” before the forum.

Mr Puna’s first official meeting with Mr Key in February was postponed due the Canterbury earthquake.

Photo Caption: Cook Islands Prime Minister Henry Puna.
 

FIJI: Senior officials prepare for 42nd Pacific Islands Forum
Source: Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat Press Release
 

Senior officials from member countries of the Pacific Islands Forum will attend a series of meetings from 15 - 19 August in Suva, Fiji as part of the preparations for the 42nd Pacific Islands Forum to be held in Auckland, New Zealand early next month.

The officials meetings, to be held at the Forum Secretariat in Suva, includes the Smaller Island States (SIS) Officials Meeting, 15th August; the Pacific Plan Action Committee (PPAC) Meeting 16 - 17 August and the Forum Officials Committee (FOC) Pre-Forum session 18 - 19 August 2011.

“The meeting of the SIS Officials is an opportunity for the smaller members of the Forum to caucus on issues of special interest to SIS before those issues are discussed at the Pacific Plan Action Committee and Forum Officials Committee meetings,” says Tuiloma Neroni Slade, Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum.

Mr Slade added: “The PPAC, which is mandated to oversee the implementation of the Pacific Plan, will among other issues discuss the 2011 Pacific Plan Progress Report which tracks progress on the implementation of the priorities endorsed by Forum Leaders in 2009.”

Recommendations of the PPAC Meeting are relayed through the Meeting’s Chair to the Chair of the Pacific Islands Forum.

The Forum Officials Committee, which is the governing council of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, will consider the Secretariat’s Corporate issues including the 2012 Annual Budget as well as the Secretariat new Programme Strategic Plans for 2012 - 2014.

FOC will also discuss regional security and governance issues affecting the region. Outcomes of the FOC meeting will also be relayed to the Forum Leaders when they meet in Auckland, New Zealand, 6 -9 September.

The SIS Officials, the PPAC and FOC meetings will also be attended by representatives of Forum Associate members and Observers as well as Council of Regional Organisations for the Pacific (CROP) agencies.
 

(Photo: Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme)

WORLDWIDE: PACC Review meeting concludes on a high note
Source: Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme Press Release

The second annual review meeting for the Pacific Adaptation to Climate Change (PACC) Project came to a conclusion on Friday (August 12, 2011) at the Lelagon Hotel, Port Vila Vanuatu.

The week long Multipartite Review Meeting brought together 13 of the PACC member countries to review the progress of the PACC project and discuss policy technical and operational issues and recommendations for the decision of the participants.

Present at the meeting were the respective National Coordinators, Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) as the implementing agencies, and other key partners.

There was exchange of experience and lessons learnt for the policy and pilot demonstration implementation processes across countries with regional partners, and the opportunity to provide technical training and adaptation implementation and knowledge management for the national coordinators and project staff.

UNDP Samoa Resident Representative and MPR Chair, Nileema Noble said, “This project is an important endeavour with SPREP and UNDP and we are here to work with the countries, to serve the countries of the region and for countries to hold us accountable for actions, for support.”

SPREP PACC Project Manager Taito Nakalevu thanked all participants, partners and resource personnel present at the meeting and acknowledged their efforts in making the 2nd MPR a successful one.

He added, “The MPR was conducted in excellent pursuit and collaboration and we have a clear direction on how we will take the project from here, we have before us a lot of substantive work and we need to continue to scale up.”

“On behalf of the MPR members we endorse the outcomes and the summary review of the second MPR.”

This meeting has also welcomed the new members to the board for which SPREP and UNDP are permanent members. Polynesia will be represented by Tonga, Micronesia is now represented by Nauru and Papua New Guinea represents Melanesia. The representative to the board on behalf of the Council of the Regional Organisations of the Pacific is yet to be nominated.

“We will work to make sure your voice is heard,” said Mr. Russ Kun of Nauru, his sentiments were echoed by his fellow board members that will represent the 13 Pacific island countries.

At the closing of the meeting the Tuvalu National Coordinator Loia Tausi, on behalf of the member countries, remarked “Our sincere thanks and gratitude to the chair of MPR to be able to navigate the meeting throughout the week, the meeting has been a useful and challenging one.”

“We are really glad to see we have come out with constructive outcomes and your help to improve our work as a PACC team. This MPR has encouraged everyone to implement at a pace that is as expected and we promise to come on board with a positive delivery in the next MPR.”

The 3rd MPR is endorsed to be held in Nauru mid 2012.

The PACC project is a 13 million dollar regional project that helps coordinate national ‘on the ground’ activities in 13 island countries to help them adapt to climate change in three main areas - food security and production, coastal management and water resources management.

The regional PACC project is implemented by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) as an implementing partner. It is funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF).