Gertrude Andrias radiates optimism and positive energy wherever she goes.
This was evident during the April 19th graduation of 142 rice farmers at Erap, in Morobe Province.
Andrias was one of the farmers who had completed 20 weeks of irrigated rice farming training at the PNG University of Technology in 2023.
The Jiwakan farmer applied for Trukai’s smart farmer program and after completing it, she left for home with 3kg of rice seeds that were given to them.
“From the 3kg of rice seeds that Trukai gave, I planted and harvested close to 400kg. From there, I extended my plot and conducted trainings with my community,” she said.
“I trained 46 people in one of the programs that we run in the community. I took 19 participants from Yonki and 27 from Jiwaka. They are about to complete this three-month training by end of this month. Their rice fields are ready for harvesting.”
The smart farmer program is a 5-year partnership between Trukai, the PNG University of Technology and the Pacific Adventist University.
A memorandum of agreement was signed on October 12th, 2022, between Unitech and Trukai, with the aim of enriching and extending farmers’ basic knowledge and skills in rice farming, enabling them to achieve higher returns from producing quality and marketable yields.
Andrias believes that time and resources spent on rice will yield greater benefits, compared to other cash crops, as rice takes between three and six months to reach maturity, and is a staple food.
“The rice is ready for harvest within three months,” she said. “In Jiwaka, we can plant it three times in a year; you can plant all year round. We planted the same seeds in water and on dry land – and they all grew very well. Close to four months and you’ll harvest it; from 90 to 120 days, depending on the location and climate. It will take longer to mature in cold climate while warmer areas, like Jiwaka, it took only three months.”
Andrias believes rice farming is the future, emphasising that today, 5kg costs K5.
“We will never go wrong with rice,” she stated. “Kaukau is only short term. Rice is food security. When people come to our homes, we will sell a cup of rice for K1 or K2. I told our mothers and they were very excited.
“Since I am a Trukai model farmer, I will get a rice mill and power tiller to take to the village. We will plant rice, mill it, sell it, eat it too and save money.
“The partnership between Unitech and Trukai has motivated me to come for training.”