Two Samoa Sign M.O.U
American Samoa Governor Lemanu Peleti Mauga and Samoa Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata'afa at the Atoa O Samoa Executive Talks held last week at Taumeasina Island Resort.
Photo: Government of Samoa
Samoa has signed an historic Memorandum of Understanding (M.O.U.) with American Samoa that will finally allow meat exports from Samoa to be shipped and sold in the neighbouring U.S. territory.
The M.O.U. is one major development that came out of the Atoa O Samoa Executive Talks hosted by Samoa last week Thursday and Friday.
Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries Laauli Leuatea Schmidt confirmed that an M.O.U. was signed when he spoke on the Soalepule programme that was broadcast on Wednesday evening, 19 October by EFKS-TV.
He was notified by his employees at M.A.F. that Director of Agriculture for the American Samoa Government (A.S.G.) Solialeaalofitagaloa Iosua Mutini was in the country for the talks.
La’auli was out of the country during the second meeting of the Atoa O Samoa Executive Talks hosted by the Government of Samoa.
Each division of M.A.F. – agriculture, fisheries, the Scientific Research Organisation of Samoa (S.R.O.S.) and Samoa Trust Estate Corporation S.T.E.C. were instructed by Laauli to give the director the opportunity to visit each facility.
“I am thankful that when I was out of the country, the Governor and his delegation were here and the first agreement was signed with American Samoa,” he said.
Under the agreement, Samoa can now move its locally raised meats: lamb, mutton, beef, pork, chicken, fish and eggs into American Samoa.
Staples of taro, banana, fruits and vegetable exports are also allowed under the M.O.U.
“This is the first time an M.O.U has been signed after many years of talking and talking and talking but no action was taken,” said Laauli.
Lamb and mutton can now be exported to American Samoa under a newly signed Memorandum of Understanding that allows Samoa to export its meat products to the U.S. territory.
Photo: Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries.
“We had only one meeting in American Samoa, two meetings including the meeting held here and the Governor was in agreement to sign the agreement that allows the trade of our meats, eggs, pork, chicken, beef as well as our staples, produce and many other products in the future.”
Laauli met with the A.S.G. Director of Agriculture Solialeaalofitagaloa on Wednesday morning.
Discussions between American Samoa and Samoa will no longer be limited to just the Prime Minister and Governor, he said.
It is the wish of the Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata’afa to allow discussions to take place between her Cabinet and the American Samoa governor.
“We don’t go back to where we were before: talks only took place between the governor and the Prime Minister,” Laauli said.
“What the prime minister and governor would like is to meet and as soon as that is done, we who are beneath her can begin discussions. That is what we are doing now.”
Samoa was blocked from selling its meats to American Samoa for a long time, he said.
Laauli said it was in 2016 during his first stint as agriculture minister when he travelled to American Samoa to discuss meat exports from Samoa.
The meeting lasted less than one hour when the (then) director closed his notebook and refused to speak to Laauli.
“It was bad. He closed his notebook and refused to speak to me,” he said.
“Our meeting did not last for an hour. He just closed his notebook and the discussion was over.”
At the time, there was no close connection between American Samoa and Samoa, Laauli said.
Things “are quite different now,” he noted.
Talks are “open-minded” now, Laauli said.
The M.O.U. opens up a market that will allow local farmers to earn $10 (U.S. Dollars) per moa Samoa.
Whole pigs that sell for $200 in Samoa will go for the same price in American Samoa.
“We want to make a good profit...if we talk about moa Samoa, it is $10 U.S. Dollars for one moa Samoa. If a pig costs $200 in Samoa, that is what it will cost there. The price for a pound of beef in Samoa will be the same price there,” Laauli said.
He said while the value of other currencies dropped last week, the U.S. Dollar continues to rise.
“Especially because last week, rates for other currencies dropped but the rate for American money went up,” Laauli said.
The exchange rate this week somewhere in between $2.70 and $2.80 Samoan Tala to $1 U.S. Dollar.
The strength of the U.S. Dollar is why he pushed hard for the American Samoa market, he added.
“All the meat they are eating is from America and now this door has been opened to us," said Laauli.
The $1 million grant allocated to each constituency will fund projects for farmers so they can supply the American Samoa market, Laauli said.
M.A.F. is currently running programmes that provide feed for livestock to farms across the country, he said.
A.S.G. officials toured the M.A.F. divisions and project sites funded by the $1 million grants.
To mark the historic trade agreement, M.A.F. has put together a special gift for A.S.G.: 500 faisua (giant clams) and 500 tilapia, limu (sea grapes) and aliao.
Director of Marine and Wildlife Resources (D.M.W.R.) Taotasi Arhice Soliai was also in the country and he received the gifts of seafood from M.A.F., said Laauli.
Livestock of three sheep (two ewes and one ram) and three cattle (two heifers and one bull) will also be gifted to American Samoa so they can breed the animals in the U.S. territory.
A.S.G. officials will return to Samoa in two week’s time to meet with farmers to prepare them for exporting their meat and produce to American Samoa.