SOLOMONS SOAP FACTORY HURT BY CHEAPER IMPORTS Submitted by admin on Fri, 05/14/2004 - 00:00 HONIARA, Solomon Islands (SIBC, May 13) - Solomon Soaps Ltd. is laying off workers and scaling down its operations because of lower-priced imported products. Malaita businessman Peter Rikia has asked the government to help subsidize the soap factory, which has been a source of income for coconut oil farmers on Malaita. The soap company says it is scaling down operations and reducing its labor force because of an the influx of similar products from overseas which are selling at much cheaper prices. It says most of the products are imported into the country under the Melanesian Spearhead Group trade agreement.