PM ANNOUNCES PREPARATORY WORKS ON CEMA REFINERIES

Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare last week had announced the implementation of downstream processing preparatory works on CEMA now trading as Solomon Commodities Refineries in Noro in the Western Province and the Russel Islands in Central Islands Province beginning in July 2022.

The establishment of these refineries is in line with the DCGA Policy through the Ministry of Commerce to cease exports of all forms of raw commodities by 2028.

This programme is a manifestation of the Government’s desire to bring tangible economic development and activities closer to people in the rural areas, particularly local farmers and villagers.

“This is vital towards reviving rural economic activities through the CEMA’s buying centres in the Provinces, buying points and ports of calls to be re-established soon. These buying centres will be the commodities economic hubs in the Provinces aimed at bringing markets closer to farmers,” Sogavare said Wednesday last week.

The Prime Minister added that these developments are vital towards enabling CEMA to re-starting it’s purchasing, selling and exporting of our local commodities, whilst at the same time progressing on to establish refineries for downstream processing of all commodities for domestic and export markets.

This developments shows the DCGA’s determination in its continuous efforts to drive increasing gross domestic production of key commodities for export markets. In turn, this will contribute towards improving the lives of rural people and their wellbeing.

Sogavare said the Government is committed to this cause, and will not allow other obstacles to get in the way of producing this specific outcome.

Furthermore, the Government is fully aware that 85% of people lives in the rural villages, thus it is vital to physically re-establish CEMA trading activities in the rural areas, and foremost to reach out to remote farmers and villagers in the Provinces.

Sogavare further assured the CEMA Board and Management that the Government is committed in providing the necessary funding support through the line Ministries Annual Development Budgets according to the Memorandum of Agreement for Funding Support signed with CEMA in November 2021.

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