Cabinet Ministers and senior Government officials converged on Vaimoso on Saturday to join its residents in celebrating the 2nd Talomua Festival.

The residents of the village, who were credited for hosting the 2nd Talomua Festival this year, came out to showcase their agricultural products and handicrafts.

The festival is an annual event but was cancelled in 2019 due to the measles epidemic and 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This time around the villagers were elated at being given the opportunity to reinstate their festival with women and children gathered around the village committee house to boast about their harvest and compare the fruits of their labor.

Prime Minister, Fiame Naomi Mata’afa, Minister of Agriculture Forestry and Fisheries La’aulialemalietoa Leuatea Schmidt was among Cabinet Ministers and Members who attended the festival on Saturday.

The leaders commended all the farmers for their hard work which came to fruition as seen at the display tents set up for the festival.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries C.E.O. Tilafono David Hunter said the festival this year is a success as each village around Samoa is now holding their own Talomua Festival.

He said this sort of initiative encourages Samoa's local farmers and people to grow the crops themselves rather than depend on supermarkets and imports.

"I applaud all the hard work of our local farmers which we see before us today,” said the Ministry's C.E.O. when addressing the crowd.

“It is very important during these hard times caused by COVID-19 that we become self-sufficient in providing ourselves rather than being dependent on imported products from overseas.”

The village of Vaimoso's Talomua Committee organised cash prizes for the farmer who harvested the biggest produce from each crop, amongst other awards to encourage the villagers to work the land. 

One of the farmers at the festival selling his cocoa beans and coconuts, Tomi Afatia, said it  was the first time he had taken part in such an event.

"It's my first time participating, and one positive I've taken from this experience is networking between farmers,” he said.

“I've learned a lot from other cocoa farmers who shared some of the similar challenges we face as cocoa farmers.”