After months of preparations, the village of Letogo on the north coast of Upolu hosted their Talomua festival last Friday as well as celebrated the country's 60th Independence anniversary.

The event attracted families and friends from nearby villages with a variety of agricultural produce ranging from root and tree crops as well as vegetables, fruits and livestock on display. 

The village was also divided into groups and prepared traditional Samoan performances for the audience with the women also showcasing some of their handicraft.

The Congregational Christian Church Samoa parish at Letogo, resident minister Reverend Ulatifa Leulua'iali'i, led the celebration with a prayer and was given the honour of hoisting the Samoan flag to begin the festivities. 

The Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries, La'auli Leuatea Schmidt delivered the keynote address and commended the efforts that went into organising the event.

He acknowledged the participation of the Letogo and Samoa Primary Schools and commended the support and effort of the women to prepare for the day’s event and celebration. 

Recollecting the village's agricultural history, La'auli said Letogo used to have well established facilities for processing goods such as soap and milk. 

He then added that the Talomua is an opportunity to encourage farmers and fishers to actively participate in showcasing the fruits of their labour while emphasising the importance of planting more crops to safeguard Samoa’s food and nutrition security.

With the country recording some of the region's highest noncommunicable disease (NCD) rates, the Minister pointed out the significance of increased import substitution and and exports of both fresh and frozen products.

La'auli also used the opportunity to talk about the Government’s commitment to strengthening grassroots communities with a direct assistance to the district through its $1 million Tala development fund.

The mayor of Letogo, Tufalevulevu Fa’apiano Pilimai then assured that the village fully supported the initiative by the Government for community development and put forward the village's request for access to State-owned land in Letogo in order to expand their agricultural projects.

Assistance with more access roads for farming purposes, school buildings and water access will also help, added Tufalevulevu. 

As part of the Ministry’s role in supporting village-led agriculture events, farming tools and equipment as well as seeds and seedlings of various crops were provided to Letogo.