To promote the sale of handicrafts in Vanuatu, a handicrafts biosecurity awareness video and handicrafts vendor guide were launched during the Pacific Week of Agriculture in Port Vila last month. Hon. Matai Seremaiah Nawalu, Vanuatu’s Minister for Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries, Forestry and Biosecurity jointly launched the video and vendor guide with Jenny Da Rin, Australian High Commissioner to Vanuatu and Georgina Roberts, New Zealand’s High Commissioner to Vanuatu. L-R: Solomon

 Awareness training sessions for stakeholders of the handicrafts and tourism industries in the Solomon Islands have been well received and lauded as an “eye-opening” experience. Organised by the Australian and New Zealand-funded Pacific Horticultural and Agricultural Market Access (PHAMA) Program, the training was well attended by about 150 stakeholders including handicrafts vendors, tourism operators, women’s groups, non-government organization representatives and donor partners. Officials from the Biosecurity Division of Ministry of

Premium cocoa exports for Solomon Islands reach new levels Patterson Siliota, the Chief Inspecting Officer of the Solomon Islands Commodities Export Market Authority (CEMA), confirmed that total exports of cocoa beans to the premium chocolate market for 2017 so far stands at 24 metric tonnes (worth over SBD600,000) compared with less than 2 metric tonnes exported in previous years. “This is a significant increase since Solomon Islands only began exporting cocoa