SAMOA CONSUL OFFICE CLOSED ON THURSDAY AND FRIDAY THIS WEEK

Due to the general elections in Samoa, the Office of the Consulate-General of Samoa will be closed on Thursday and Friday, March 3 and 4, 2016.

In a notice issued by the office, they will be open for business on Monday, March 7, 2016 as usual.

The Consulate office urges the traveling public who are US Nationals intending to travel to and/or going through Samoa for other destinations to obtain entry permits for Samoa before-hand.

For EMERGENCY and URGENT cases only, the public should contact the following phone numbers:  +685-765-5162 Auseuga Vaasatia Poloma Komiti and +685-771-2166 To’alepai Siaopo Pese in Samoa for appropriate assistance.

DOC AOLOAU FARM FAIR AND LOCAL BRANDING OF PRODUCTS

ASG’s Commerce Department has described the Aoloau Farm Fair as being the most successful to date. This community agriculture project is funded with grant money from the Community Service Block Grant (CSBG) program.

Commerce director Keniseli Lafaele, says that for 2 years now, DOC’s Planning Division has been involved in many community agriculture efforts, such as the Aoloau Farm Fair, which “has been the most successful to date.”

The Planning Division this year has earmarked and utilized $7,000 in CSBG funding for the Aoloau fair. And CSBG funding has procured equipment needed to support local farmers who have difficulty finding employment in the unskilled labor market due to lack of higher education and/or general education, according to the performance report.

It also says that survey revealed that 52% of the individuals benefiting from CSBG support for this project had “minimal means of sustaining an average family size of 7 with only social security and monthly pension as the source of income.”

“The Farm Fair provided these individuals the opportunity to sell and supply agriculture produce to gain an extra income to allow more flexibility in expenditures such as food, clothing, utility payments, and expenses for basic necessities,” Lafaele said in the performance report.

The report also revealed several projects undertaken by the Planning Division such as the “local branding position paper.” It explains that surveys were administered to local vendors at the Fagatogo Market Place as well as roadside vendors to determine “branding locally produced products.”

DOC says the survey results reveal that specific goods that are produced locally are “much cheaper” than the imported goods  — for example, eggs, avocados and taro.

Lafaele says the Planning Division continues to device ways to ensure that local farmers can market their goods so that they may eventually brand their goods. “Through branding, sales locally and at the regional and international scale could be realized for all income and non-income individuals, farmers, [and] budding small businesses,” the DOC director points out.

MSHA HOLDS TRAINING FOR LAND MINING

The US Department of Labor Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) will begin inspection activities on October 1, 2016 of all mine/quarry sites for those companies that dredge and mill rocks — “fai asuemu” in American Samoa for implementation of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977.

This prompts MSHA’s Educational Field and Small Mine Services Group (EFSMS) to conduct training sessions to help mine operators, contractors and miners learn the requirements of the Mine Act, 30 Code of Federal Regulations (30CFR) and what they need to do to ensure their mines are in compliance.

In a notice issued by MSHA this training will consist of two modules over a two-week period, for “Comprehensive Training” that will consist of 3 days of training in a number of areas to educate mine operators and contractors on how to become compliant with MSHA regulations. This module will be geared towards mine operators mine managers, safety personnel, supervisors and trainers. The training will cover federal Code of Regulations; Mine Act; and Program Policy Manual – this manual contains guidelines that MSHA inspectors will follow when conducing inspections.

Also trainings will be conducted on the Work Place Examinations and for Duties and Responsibilities. The second week of training will also consist of 3 days of Train the Trainer Classes. This week is designed for people interested in conducting training of miners. This is three days of classroom training to teach individuals how to train miners for compliance with 30CFR Part 46 training regulations.

Individuals interested in becoming “trainers” should attend both modules 1 and 2. There is no cost for any training and each company can bring as many participants as they wish. The first training is scheduled for March 9, 10 and 11 at ASCC. The second training, which will be held on March 14, 17 and 18 will be at the Tradewinds and the classes will run from 8a.m. to 4:30p.m. with registration at 7a.m.