The Solomon Islands Postal Corporation in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock,(MAL) Solomon Islands Government has released a set of four postal stamps.

This was to promote the importance of organic local vegetable production and consumption of the local and introduced vegetables in the diet of the Solomon Islanders, for better health and nutrition.

Few residents in the Solomon Islands consume fruits and vegetables in the amounts recommended by the World Health Organization; the lack of nutrients leads to severe malnutrition, and many non-communicable diseases such as vitamin A and iron deficiencies, heart attacks, high blood pressure, obesity, cancer, and type II diabetes. Thus eating healthy vegetables and fruits produced locally and organically will produce healthy future generations of Solomon Islanders.

According to MAL these four stamps feature the picture of Yard-long bean, Eggplant, Tomato and Pumpkin, another stamp on the indigenous cabbage (Slippery Cabbage) local foods will be released in 2011.

MAL Senior Adviser (Agriculture Development) Dr Ravi Joshi said his idea to come out with these stamps is to promote and encourage "every Solomon Islanders to grow vegetables and fruits organically, locally, and consume vegetables and fruits organically, locally, and consume vegetables and fruits including other organic foods of various colors to have a balanced diet for attaining local, healthy and safe food and nutritional security."

"We must slowly go away with processed imported foods to reduce non-communicable diseases that are increasing at alarming level in this country" said Dr. Joshi.

Mr Ravi said it took him two years to complete these stamps.

"If we're dedicated, passionate, and persistent to achieved ones goal no mountain is too high to climb said Ravi.

The stamps are now available at the post office, prices ranges from $1-50-$3-00


Source: Press Release, Solomon Islands Development Trust (SIDT)