Fielders rice back on Solomons export menu

SOLOMON Islands-based Fielders Industries Ltd has begun ex porting rice again as the final stage of reconstruction after the destruc tion of rice areas by Cyclone Namu in May 1986. Vanuatu and New Zealand importers have placed orders, and there is likely to be a substantial purchase from Papua New Guinea once that coun try’s quarantine officials have cleared the rice as being disease-free. In the longer term, Fielders could take advantage of efforts in Papua New Guinea to expand rice growing, which would provide an alternative source for the company it

currently imports unpolished rice from

the United States, and mills and packs it in Honiara.

The Australian-owned Fielders Indus tries has received an order for 14 tonnes of rice from Auckland, and a report from Honiara said that a further order for 10 tonnes had come from Vanuatu.

The company has been operating in the Solomon Islands for only three years the country’s rice industry was destroyed by the 1986 cyclone. General manager Steve Peterson said the company was pleased with progress, and was planning to invest about US$l million in the coun try, including spending on its biscuit manufacturing plant, a new bread fac tory and a feed stock mill.

Fielders is planning to market its rice through Associated Mills in Papua New Guinea, which is now the country’s only flour supplier. PNG Health Department quarantine officers have already ex amined samples of rice from Fielders, and Agriculture and Livestock Minister Tom Pais said they had found minimal risks of pests and diseases. Officials would travel to Honiara to inspect the mill there. Pais said imports would only be cleared when full checks had been

carried out. It is expected that Fielders could sell about 37,000 tonnes of rice in the initial shipment. The strict control tests are essential in view of Papua New Guinea’s efforts to develop its own infant rice industry any disease would be fatal to that plan.

The Government in Port Moresby re cently outlined initiatives to see rice grown on a commercial scale in Morobe’s Markham Valley, Bereina, in Central Province and on the plains of East Sepik.

Fielders has indicated it will buy un polished rice from Papua New Guinea, especially from the Markham area.

Meanwhile, Fielders is expecting to be able to sell its packaged rice in Papua New Guinea at between 50 to (US49 cents) and 60t per kilogram, compared with current prices for Australian im ported rice between 65t and 73t in Port

Moresby. □