The 9 Miles Agro Farm is a commercially oriented, modern high intensive vegetable farm by the Innovative Agro Industry (IAI).
The project aims to promote local production enhancing food security;
The farms operation began in March 2014.
The farm employs approximately 160 workers and produces currently around 12 Metric tonnes of prime vegetables weekly.
Apart from supplying markets in PNG they also export weekly to Fiji.
But like any other Agriculture business they face challenges in sourcing finance, land issues, lack of infrastructure, transportation and foreign exchange.
Apart from vegetable growing the IAI has a plan to build a modern, state of the art dairy farm and dairy processing plant at Ilimo Farm, Central Province.
In Sirunki, Enga Province they have set up a training center for a nucleus farm and extensive out-grower operations.
And in East Sepik they have set up an Agriculture Development Project based on poultry production, stock feed and a commercial cocoa plantation while in Hilalon in the New Ireland Province they have a project that will comprise smallholder development programs, as well as vegetables, poultry and pig production.
The IAI’s current investment in PNG's Agriculture is approximately K80 million and investments in projects is around K200 million.
They hope they government can look at providing a mechanism for the provision of grants, equity investments, concessional and commercial finance.