DISTRIBUTION OF FOOD CROPS AND PLANTING MATERIALS

DARD is the leading agency which coordinated all distribution and facilitated contact points on the islands with its extension officers, area secretaries and key farmers who were recipients of the food and planting materials. Partners involved in the distribution included: ACTIV, World Vision, VARTC, vessels Okeanos and Musique, the Milae Farm on Santo, the Farmers’ group in South Malekula, the Farmers’ group on East Ambae, the Sanma root crop and vegetable farmers’ club, Alfred Loli’s farm on Eton and lead farmers on Epule, Efate. Through the DARD Extension network, the Department connected all key producing farmers on the unaffected areas of Santo, Malo, Malekula, Efate and Ambae together and collected planting materials of sweet potato, cassava, yam, taro and island cabbage for free. Transport was organized by the DARD and the planting materials were collected from the farmers and shipped to the islands of Mere Lava, Epi, Tongoa, Shepherds group, Efate off-shore islands, Erromango, Tanna and Tafea outer islands.

ACTIV played an important role in bringing the Okeanos and Musique boat, which effectively provided assistance in transporting food crops and planting materials to the small islands. Some of the relief supplies were also delivered by a military plane, organized by the FSAC in particular to Efate and Tanna. DARD Santo coordinated most of the supply of planting materials of root crops. The total number of planting materials per crop distributed from Santo is: o Kumala: 43,950 cuttings o Taro: 21,380 suckers o Taro Fiji: 5,050 suckers o Navia: 7,720 suckers or cormels o Yams: 520 sets of yams o Cassava: 55 090 cuttings The target of producing and distributing planting materials in Santo is over the DARD national target because of the damage for tropical cyclone Pam and El Nino.