Food Processing Steering Committee Formed

By Amy Levendusky

The food processing workshop sponsored by the Island Food Community of Pohnpei (IFCP) and funded by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) held at Condon Hall on October 10th, 2005, stirred up a lot of interest among a few participants. These participants met at the conference room at the Office of Agriculture the following week to discuss the potential of processing, marketing, and selling local food products in Pohnpei. Members of the group included Pelihda Waltu, Elnohra Suldan, Samuel Washington, Joseph Donre, Heliver Syne, Yulihse Lanzo, Asipa Albert, Palerina Lorens, and Emy Musrasrik. Adelino Lorens of the Office of Agriculture and Amy Levendusky of the IFCP facilitated the meeting.

The group decided to form a steering committee and elected Mr. Samuel Washington as the Chairman. This committee will work to develop, market, and sell processed local food products in Pohnpei. The group will also be responsible for finding funding sources to potentially start a small-scale cooperative local food processing business. They will also work to identify a location from where their processed goods can be sold. Members of the group agreed to first work on developing their own local food products on an individual basis. Each member will share his/her progress at the next meeting. Meetings will be held once a month at the Office of Agriculture.

The Island Food Community of Pohnpei will work closely with the steering committee to provide any needed assistance especially in the form of lending out food processing equipment. Dr. Richard Beyer, food scientist based in Fiji, who led the food processing workshops, will also be available to assist the steering committee through email on an as needed basis. Any one interested in learning more about local food processing is encouraged to call the office of the Island Food Community of Pohnpei at 320-7523 or 320-8639.