Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Solomons people urged to opt for food gardens as rice price goes up

Posted at 03:38 on 25 March, 2008 UTC

A Solomon Islands development organisation says people should go back to their traditional gardening methods to offset an expected increase in the price of rice.

The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation’s index of food prices says rice has spiked to a 20 year high.

A price increase is also expected to hit the region.

The executive coordinator of the country’s development trust, Jennifer Wate, says the worldwide developments are worrisome.

“Rice is becoming one of the major diets in most of our meals, just because rice is easy for women to cook and prepare. It’s time that we encourage them to go back and grow more root crops, like taro, yams, to hold on to their traditional gardening methods.”

Jennifer Wate says people in Solomon Islands pay up to one US dollar per kilogramme of rice.