BY KHAMA LINCOLN in Gizo
A CLASS four student, Rose Kiko, 13, and Elderly Mother, Freda Kamikera are seaweed (sea grapes) farmers from Kongulavata, west of Gizo Island in the Western Solomons.
A few days ago, last week they were selling parcels of the sea grapes at the Gizo main market. The primary school student said, from her village, she joined some village women and they puddled to an island called kudukudu where the sea grapes grow in larger amounts.
They harvested the saltwater vegetable and put it into a cone-shaped parcel made of coconut leaves called “Kuka” in the Simbo Island dialect.
13-year-old Rose said, she usually sells at the market during her school holidays to earn some money for her school stationaries and other needs and wants.
Mrs. Kamikera is a regular vendor at Gizo market.
She usually sells sea grapes at the market two times a week, while she spends the rest of the week doing gardening as well as selling shells, root crops, greens, and vegetables.
She said that after harvesting the seaweed, large coconut baskets called “Tela” were filled and transported to the market.
While at the market, she transferred the seaweeds to the cone-shaped parcel “Kuka” and cost it at the normal price of 10 dollars per parcel.
The mother also puddles to the same Island to fetch sea grapes for sale, and she stressed that villagers compete for the local delicacy during harvesting.
“We don’t plant seaweed,” the vendor explained. It grows all over the reefs, at the mangroves, and around the Islands.”
She explains that during the low tide period or when the water becomes shallow and there’s a shortage of seaweed plants, villagers would dive into the deeper areas to do the harvesting.
According to Mrs. Kamikera, the Seagrapes can only remain fresh for three to four days after harvesting. She warned never to let rain or water from the river to touch the Seagrapes otherwise it will be spoilt.
She said, sea grapes can survive during cyclones seasons and it grows well when the sea rises.
She said it can be served with local products like Chilli tinned fish, fried fish, and also as a salad.
She’s selling three baskets of sea grapes at the Gizo market during the year’s eve. she said, she could earn $400 to $500 dollars from that when sold out.
“I’m finding money for my children’s school fees for 2022,” she said.
Meanwhile, people in Gizo who are interested in sea grapes or seaweed are a delicacy in the coastal villages.
A single mother from Vella la Vella said they use to have the Island delicacy, especially every Saturday.
“I just like it, she said, “I grow up with that and it has calcium. We can have it with Chilli Taiyo (tinned fish) and I like the strong one with a sour taste,” She added.
In the Islands, villagers serve it with fish, but when they don’t have fish, they serve it just with coconut, potato, and cassava.
