La Niña event likely to affect seaweed farmers BY MAVIS NISHIMURA PODOKOLO THE La Niña season declared in Solomon Islands will most likely affect seaweed farmers. Local seaweed farmers in Rarumana village, Western Province harvesting seaweed plots. Enock Simba, one of the active seaweed farmers in Rarumana Western province in an interview said unstable weather hitting the country will greatly affect their crop. He said this is because rainwater is the big enemy when it comes to drying seaweed. “Rain on seaweed lowers the quality and reduces the weight. Exposed seaweed during rain will lower the quality and decrease the weight and also seaweed will dissolve in freshwater,” said Simba. He said the cyclone season expected in the coming months could certainly destroy their seaweed farms. “During the cyclone season our seaweed plots are destroyed by strong currents. For us it is heartbreaking to see our seaweed gardens washed away by strong current as we have worked so hard t