Food Shortage

The most recent incident was that of Manggai Agro Secondary School in Kavieng district’s Tikana LLG, where classes were prematurely suspended for a week and students sent home.

During the New Ireland Provincial Assembly’s June sitting on Wednesday, June 14^th, Chiefs’ representative, King Pawut, brought up the subject during the 40-minute question time.

An advocate, Biara Touakin, who is based in Fiji, said a ship typically visits each month, but the last one, on January the 6th, only contained enough food for about two weeks.

The more than 300 people living on Banaba depend almost entirely on food sent from Tarawa.

The island was decimated by phosphate mining in the first half of the 20th century, and it no longer has fruit bearing trees that could supplement the people's fishing.

Mr Touakin also said the desalination plant installed late last year continues to produce brackish water.

This was revealed by a senior Correctional Services officer from Beon Jail，who was supervising the stall set-up for this weekend‘s Madang Festival at Laiwaden oval。

The CS officer who requested anonymity， said the food ration to feed the inmates is running short and they are making a desperate appeal to business houses in Madang town and the provincial government for possible assistance。

He pointed out that the short fall in government funding is one of the major contributing factors that lead to food rations running out.

Attended on August 12, business houses were restricted from importing bulb onion, potato (Iris), cabbage, carrot, tomato, capsicum, pumpkin, peas, zucchini, eggplant, pachchoi/Chinese cabbage, French bean, lettuce and celery.

Agriculture Minister Tommy Tomscoll lifted the ban last week after a severe shortage of bulb onions and other vegetables hit the country, increasing prices because local farmers could not meet the country's  demand.          

“The decision was ill-considered and showed his lack of consultation on such matters,” said Conn.