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PM: Self-reliance starts from food on table
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Posted on Jan 12 2001
PORT VILA, Vanuatu (PINA Nius) — In 1984 he wrote the hit song entitled “Year blong Buluk” that was supported as a policy by the then Lini administration. It caused an impact on the beef industry, almost doubling the national production.
Today, 16 years later, and as Prime Minister of Vanuatu, Mr. Barak Tame Sope has thrown his weight behind another national policy, which experts feel will make an even bigger impact. He declared Year 2001 as Yia blong Aelan Kakae (Year of Island Food).
If you discover that the food on your table each day cannot be grown locally then Vanuatu may be politically independent but the desire to be self reliant is still a dream, Prime Minister Sope said.
He said if the government must protect its local industry by imposing taxes on imported foodstuff Vanuatu will go to that extent.
He said he cannot entertain the idea of Vanuatu being a dumping ground for food contributing to the high number of fatal diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and cancer suffered by ni-Vanuatu.
“Vanuatu cannot accept being a dumping ground for food that has very low nutritional value,” Mr. Sope said. He explained that you don’t find chicken wing sold in restaurants in Australia, yet each year we import tons of chicken wings from abroad.
The World Trade Organization too shares the view that a sovereign country like Vanuatu has the right to decline imports of food that are not healthy for its citizens, Mr. Sope said.
However, the government leader realizes that the high price of local food is the main obstacle that has caused ni-Vanuatu to develop a tendency to buy imported foodstuff.
He said: “Cheap food is cheap food. That is exactly what the imported food is. Cheap food. If we were to start eating local food I will not be surprised if our athletes will make an impression at the Olympic Games.”
The Ministry of Agriculture is now helping farmers with the pricing of local food. Also it is arranging to have local food sent to the market in Port Vila from the islands.
Another policy is to encourage children at secondary schools to eat local food. “If schools don’t abide the national government will withdraw some funding,” Mr. Sope warned.
