25th June 2020, APIA– The Faleasiu-uta Farmers Cooperative Society Ltd launched the successful completion of its packhouse initiative earlier today, which was made possible with funding assistance from the Australian Government through its ongoing partnership with the Government of Samoa under the Civil Society Support Program (CSSP).
The packhouse project aimed to address the pressing need of horticulture farmers within the Faleasiu community for a facility to sort, grade, wash and package their fruits and vegetables to ensure consumers receive clean and quality produce. Furthermore, the packhouse will provide Faleasiu with a facility to host ongoing agriculture training programs conducted mostly by the Crops division of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries.
“The packhouse has immensely impacted the Faleasiu community in improving its packaging process which is an essential element in reassuring target markets. In the past, we didn’t have a facility to pack our produce; but now we have the resources we need to improve the quality of our products and increase our sales to support our families. Thank you to the Australian Government through CSSP for this financial assistance, we are positive that this project will not only benefit our members and community but farmers also in neighboring villages” said Fesolai RutaTuiala (President Faleasiu-uta Farmers Cooperative Society Ltd).
The Faleasiu-uta Farmers Cooperative Society Ltd (Sosaiete Faifaatoaga Faleasiu-uta) is a female-dominated organization of horticulture farmers from Faleasiu who rely primarily on farming to support their livelihood.
The COVID-19 pandemic has posed major challenges globally affecting the economic and social dimensions of development in unprecedented ways. In response, the Government of Samoa is encouraging farming to increase the resilience of the Samoan people to the impact of coronavirus in food production and security.
Acquiring a packhouse is essential; it assists the organization in handling and processing of horticulture produce to ensure compliance with market requirements and standards. Fruits and vegetables are highly perishable and must be processed or consumed at its earliest to avoid profit loss. Thanks to the opening of a new packhouse under the fund, the Faleasiu farmers will be able to achieve their goal of providing quality products to secure potential markets.
The SAT 50,000 grant was made available under the Small Grants Scheme (Gender Fund) of the Samoa Women Shaping Development Programme. The fund offers assistance for village-level initiatives that are mainstreaming gender equality and empowerment, and that underpin the concept of women’s engagement in decision making and access to equal opportunities.
CSSP wishes to acknowledge the efforts by the organization in empowering women within their community to engage in sustainable development initiatives for economic and social enhancement.
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For more information, please contact Sa’uSefuluSalesulu (CSSP Grant Project Officer – DFAT) or Tiatia Elu Motootua (Grants Facility Manager) on telephone 24617 or email cssp.office@cssp.gov.ws
