Goat products breakthrough in Vanuatu

Anew breakthrough into an untapped local and export market for goat meat and products is set to take off within the next few months in Vanuatu.

Two business partners behind the

Centre for Development Industry-backed

project are Dr Charlie Parsons and Toa Enterprises owner, Paul Heston.

A pilot project complete with goat farm and factory was set up in Queensland in Australia.

Several women employees from Toa Enterprises have been training in Australia how to breed and to milk the goats, how to operate the mechanical equipment and how to make a variety of delicious cheese - one of which is already on order from Qantas.

In an introductory ceremony attended by the chief executive of the Vanuatu Foreign Investment Board, Howard Aru, his staff and senior officers from the Agriculture and Quarantine Departments, Parsons treated them to sample about ten varieties of mouthwatering goat cheese.

“Umm...delicious, unbelievable,” said the group as they nodded and continued to sample from one plate to another.

Parsons is a medical doctor by profession but also an inventor and specialist in agriculture.

He has been in and out of the country traveling, at his expense, to Australia and Brussels where the GDI head office is located, to see the project arrive where it is today.

“I had to make special knives and

modify the highly sophisticated equipment

for the project to be able to set up in any country in the world,” he said.

He said GDI funding for the project is ending in approximately three weeks time.

“But,” he says, “I am going to stay at my own expense to await the final green light to see the project take off.”

Parsons went through much red tape to get to where he is now. He is grateful to theVFIB for all their assistance.

During the sampling, the Board CEO has termed the result of Parsons efforts as a new achievement in an untapped

industry.

“We ni-Vanuatu should be proud of what Dr Parsons has achieved, because it is an ideal opportunity for our people in the islands to be informed of the opportunity to benefit from the project by going into dairy and meat goat farming,” he said.

Aru said Parsons experienced quite a number of problems to come this far and the country should be proud of his achievement.

“I wish to appeal to you all in the relevant positions in relevant Departments to recognise the importance and urgency of this project to support it,” he said.

The attendants also appealed to political decision-makers to support the project Goat cheese from Parsons is already on sale in two shops in PortVila.The goats are already in the country and the factory is ready to set up and run within three months. Goat meat and cheese markets are already waiting in New Caledonia and Fiji.

Export opportunities further afield will be looked at next. (Vanuatu Trading Post) ■