Nishi Trading has begun watermelon trials in a bid to improve crop yields and provide best practices for farmers. The trials are being conducted in collaboration with the Farmers’ Organizations for Africa, Caribbean and Pacific (FO4ACP), a joint partnership between the European Union, Africa Carribean and Pacific International Fund for Agricultural Development and the Pacific Farmer Organisations. The trials are using six different varieties of watermelon, as well as different fertiliser combinations and spacing plans. The results of the trials will be used to develop best practices for growing watermelon in Tonga. Nishi Trading is also grateful for the assistance…
Author: Newsdesk
Tonga continued their impressive preparations for the Rugby World Cup with a 36-12 victory over Canada in Nuku’alofa on Tuesday. The Tongans, who are in a tough Pool B with Ireland, South Africa, Scotland and Romania, scored six tries to two in the comprehensive win. Sofeso Sakalia got the Tongans off to a perfect start with a try in the opening five minutes, and fullback Kyren Taumoefolau added a second before the break. Vaea Fifita and Sakalia both scored their second tries in the second half, and Taumoefolau completed his brace with a late try. Canada scored two consolation tries…
The Australian Rugby League Commission (ARLC) has announced details of a new Pacific Championships involving international men’s and women’s matches in October and November 2023. The tournament will be staged in Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea (PNG), and will feature six men’s teams and seven women’s teams. The men’s teams will be Australia, Cook Islands, Fiji, New Zealand, Samoa and Papua New Guinea, while the women’s teams will be Australia, Cook Islands, Fiji, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Samoa and Tonga. The tournament will be played across two pools, with the top two teams from each pool advancing…
Ark Peace, the Chinese Naval Hospital Ship, concluded her third visit to Tonga on 4th August 2023 after one-week medical services. But the fond memories of her visit linger on, and people hailed her visit as “a story of our times” and “a milestone of the friendship between Tonga and China”. Ark Peace has written a new chapter in the friendship between the Chinese people and the Tongan people. During her 7-day stay in Tonga, Ark Peace provided 6,895 medical services, including 5,800 on the ship and 1,095 at three health centers of Mu’a, Vaini & Nukunuku, had 39 surgeries,…
The first-ever Tongan passport printing machine was launched on Thursday, August 10, 2023, at the Tonga Consulate-General in San Francisco. The launch was attended by HRH The Crown Prince Tupoutoá Úlukakala and Her Royal Highness The Crown Princess, as well as members of the Tongan community in San Francisco. The new passport printing machine will allow Tongans living in the United States to apply for and receive their passports in San Francisco, for the first time. Previously, all passport applications had to be sent to Nuku’alofa, Tonga, for processing. This often caused delays and inconvenience for Tongans living in the…
Sixteen participants from His Majesty’s Armed Forces – Tonga (HMAF) and Tonga Police have succesfully completed the U.S. Coast Guard’s Small Boat Operations training. The two-week training taught the participants the basics of small boat operations, including basic navigation skills, line and knot tying, familiarity with survival equipment on board their vessels, and boat handling skills. The training also included practical exercises in seamanship and boat handling. The training was conducted by the U.S. Coast Guard Pacific Area Command in Honolulu, Hawaii. The participants were trained by Coast Guard instructors who have extensive experience in small boat operations. The training…
The first formal meeting of the Pacific Islands Forum Troika Leaders was held today at the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS) in Suva. The Troika comprises the Pacific Islands Forum Chair and Prime Minister of the Cook Islands, The Hon Mark Brown, Prime Minister of Fiji and former Forum Chair, The Hon Sitiveni Rabuka and the next Forum Chair and Prime Minister of Tonga, The Hon. Hu’akavameiliku Siaosi Sovaleni. The meeting was an important step in the build-up to the 52nd Pacific Islands Forum Leaders to be held in Rarotonga, Cook Islands from the 6 to 10 November 2023. The…
The Tonga Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) launched the Tonga Organic Learning Farms Network (POLFN) on Tuesday, August 8, 2023. The network is part of a broader effort by the MoA to transform Tonga’s food system in response to the multiple natural disasters that the country faces. In his keynote address at the launch, Dr. Viliami Manu, CEO of the MoA, said that the ministry’s new main focus for the next five years is to transform Tonga’s food system. “This is a major undertaking,” he said, “but it is essential if we want to ensure food security for our people in…