Six oil palm blocks at Kapore were selected to trial out small holder rice project in West New Britain Province.
The project is expected to be rolled out soon following the successful pilot project.
Each block is harvesting more than four tons with one farmer who trialed out the Dongara variety harvesting five tons in one hectare.
Participants at the Trukai Mini Rice Field day at Kapore last Thursday were assured that will be purchasing the rice, with much of it going into milling for consumption.
Trukai’s Agriculture Manager, Jarrod Pirie, said Trukai Industries will provide training and the market for the small holder program.
Meanwhile, Provincial Executive Council members, who attended the Mini Rice Field day, Dacca Wagai and Lucas Kurgi, along with the Provincial Administrator, Williamson Hosea, have affirmed to Trukai that the Provincial Government supports the program.
They said the rice project will be rolled out to the small holders in the Land Settlement Lease and Village oil palm blocks as an alternate income source to integrate with oil palm.
They have also commended Trukai Industries for partnering with the WNB Provincial Government in the rice planting program under a Memorandum of Agreement signed, which both parties signed over a year ago.
The WNB Provincial Government sees this project as a way forward to assist LSS (Land Settlement Scheme) blocks, now into their four and fifth generation, who are experiencing overcrowding in their oil palm blocks and depending only on one source of income.
Under this program, when small holders will grow rice while waiting to replant their oil palm trees. Rice takes up to only three months to grow and harvest.
The first Mini Rice Field day held at Kapore was attended by Trukai Industries, WNB Provincial Government, stakeholder representatives and many interested farmers who have registered their names to grow rice.