More than 100 women will now have the opportunity to sell food and value-added products after receiving food safety and processing certificates.

The Department of Industry in Sanma Province, under an Asian Development Bank (ADB) project and in partnership with the Department of Health, awarded 119 certificates to vulnerable women , 25 in food safety and 94 in food processing.

These certifications allow them to sell cooked food at roadside stalls, 20 vatu markets, and to produce value-added products that can be preserved for use during disasters.

This training follows an earlier backyard gardening program run by the Department of Agriculture earlier this year.

One participant, Sandra Rarua, said the training helped them learn how to process local foods into value-added products.

“This training helps us to process food so it lasts longer, and even fruits , we can preserve them to eat in another season,” she said.

Senior Officer for Food and Beverage at the Department of Industry, Marie Dick, encouraged the women to continue planting local crops to support what they have learned.

“They must continue with backyard gardening and then use it to support food processing and learning,” she said.

At the same time, the women have formed six associations to continue applying what they have learned and to prepare products for sale during the Tropical Christmas event, which the Department of Industry will host in Luganville from 17 to 19 December.