Milne Bay  Rice will soon be hitting shelves in shops, once packing and labelling of the product is complete. Caretaker of the  Food Security Program under the Milne Bay Administration’s  Division of Agriculture Livestock Ms. Thelma Galele, said this product is an incentive for the local rice farmers. “We have provided them with the resources to grow their own rice and we are now providing a market for their produce.” Ms. Thelma acknowledged that they are still a long way off from full capacity of producing and supplying but the launching of Milne Bay Rice to the market is a big step forward. “So what we have been doing is harvesting paddy rice from the local farmers and this will now be processed and packaged, ready for sale.” She provided that as an added incentive, the DAL has provided 20 manual mills for the locals who are now farming rice. All these are efforts to improving food security as well as providing income earning opportunities in Milne Bay Province.