The Centre for Excellence in Financial Inclusion (CEFI) has extended its services to the highlands region with the opening of a new office in Goroka, Eastern Highlands Province.
The office will serve as the focal point for coordinating CEFI’s financial inclusion activities to support the Market for Village Farmers Project.
The CEFI office will support the project’s overall aim of improving the livelihoods of village farming households in target provinces by facilitating their transition from semi-subsistence agriculture in the fresh produce and galip nut to market-oriented production and farming as a business.
CEFI Executive Director Saliya Ranasinghe highlighted that CEFI through the Goroka office will coordinate the delivery of Family Farm Team Training and work with nine selected Partner Financial Institutions (PFIs) to develop innovative financial products and services to meet commercial and business financial needs of MVF rural farming communities.
“CEFI will work with CARE International PNG to conduct Family Farm Team Training to the 25,000 identified farming households in the Eastern Highlands, Western Highlands, Simbu, Jiwaka, Morobe and East New Britain Provinces and facilitate the access of farming households and other players in the fresh produce and galip nut value chains to affordable and diversified financial products and services.” Mr Ranasinghe said.
Bank of Papua New Guinea Assistant Governor Elison Pidik states, “the decision to establish the CEFI office is to have CEFI presence in the highlands and closer ties with fresh produce farmers and partners so we’re better positioned to bring improvement in the livelihood of family farmers. The office will house the CEFI Sub-Project Coordinator and field Officers.”
FPDA General Manager Mark Worinu and Department of Agriculture Acting Secretary Daniel Kombuk are both equally proud of their partnership with CEFI and stated that the Papua New Guinea Government investment in the Maket biliong Vilis Famas Projek is at the heart of government endeavour to translate subsistence farming to more organised and prospective business venture for majority for fresh produce farmers.
The Market for Village Farmers – Maket Bilong Villis Fama (MVF) is a Government of PNG project financed by International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD), executed by National Department of Agriculture & Livestock, and implemented by Fresh Produce Development Agency (FPDA). The Project Development Objective (PDO) is to achieve sustainable, increased returns to village farming households from marketed oriented production.
Picture: (L-R) FPDA Managing Director Mark Worinu, CEFI Executive Director Saliya Ranasinghe, Bank of Papua New Guinea Assistant Governor Ellison Pidik, Department of Agriculture and Livestock Acting Secretary Daniel Kombuk, NARI Executive Director Dr Sergie Bang, and Market for Village Farmers (MVF) Project Manager Robert Lutulele in front of the new CEFI office, Goroka, Eastern Highlands Province.