The Western Province Development Platform has identified key priority investments and more cash crops are said to be grown in the coming years starting with vanilla.
Provincial administrator and director for West Agro Holdings and a Vanilla Farmer himself, Robert Kaiyun, Fly Vanilla started buying beans from farmers in mid-2022, paying out in excess of PGK 5,500 to near 100 farmers for 70kg of green and dried vanilla beans. Currently the interest in vanilla farming is increasing.
Starting with vanilla there will be other high value cash crops identified and designed in the West Agro master plan.
“Governor Taboi Yoto and the leaders since taking leadership in 2017, decided to host the Western Province Development forum in 2018; and in that space of conversation they identified key priority investments for the province. They said we will invest our time, efforts and mobilize our people and development to invest in health, education and agri-business including enabling infrastructure,” stated Kaiyun.
The province leaders agreed to work together using the public-private partnership for engagements and to build Agro industrial centres in selected locations across the province.
Kaiyun said the desire to have such facilities is long over.
“The last gathering of such occasion was in 1994 when the North Fly Rubber factory in Kiunga was officially opened. While rubber was the only export take of Western province it was challenged to identify and venture into other alternate high value cash crops,” he said.
“This desire was there for a long time and the current leaders supported by development partners decided to explore. Starting with Vanilla there will be other high value cash crops identified and designed in the West Agro master plan.”
North Fly vanilla farmer, Aijela Jerry also spoke about how enthusiastic Vanilla farmers are to take on the challenge and make money for the people.
“I’m so thrilled thank you to the leaders of WP, I am showing off and I’m happy that I will be getting thousands from this area,” she said.
Farmers’ survey and extension teams compromised of Fly vanilla, Western Province DPI, and Ok Tedi Development Foundation extension officers had visited 11 villages in the North Fly District in 2022; interviewed 109 farmers that are cultivating 18,600 vanilla vines over 5,640 Ha.
Fly Vanilla started buying beans from farmers in mid-2022, paying out in excess of PGK 5,500 to near 100 farmers for 70Kg of green and dried vanilla beans.
By the end of year 2022, farmers were supplying beans as far as Nomad, Strickland River, Olsobip, and Telefomin. Currently the interest in vanilla farming is increasing.