The Department of National Planning and Monitoring (DNPM) recently visited East Sepik and West Sepik Provinces to carry out its independent assessment of the Support to Rural Entrepreneurship, Investment and Trade (STREIT) PNG Program.
With two weeks on their hands, the team led by First Assistant Secretary Corporate Governance and Compliance Division Jacob Areman and Programme Director of the NAO Support Unit Floyd Lala visited the EU-Streit support for Vanilla and cocoa growers in the area.
In 2019, the STREIT Programme Financing Agreement was signed between PNG and EU and rolled-out in 2020. DNPM is the co-chair of the Project Steering Committee.
STREIT aligned with the Medium-Term Development Plan III and is focused on supporting value-chains for cocoa, vanilla and fisheries (coastal and riverine, aquaculture).
According to DNPM, the objective is about increasing sustainable and inclusive economic development of rural areas through value chain development and enabling environment.
The meeting held two weeks ago was to inform the Provincial Administration of the assessment that will be conducted in the Sepik region.
The Provincial Administration acknowledged the positive impacts the region has experienced because of the program, like the increase in cocoa production and its economic strengths.
During the visit to Wewak last week, STREIT PNG assisted Mongs AgTrade Services Ltd which is a group of vanilla farmers from Mandi village by supplying 5 vanilla driers to boost the quality of their yield.
The team also visited the Brandi Secondary School ICT facility where the e-commerce, digital and marketing training for vanilla growers was conducted by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) under STREIT PNG. The team also visited the completed Yawasoro-Niengwainjie Road by EU-Streit, which will be handed over to the local government this week.
The team also paid a visit to the EU-Streit’s cocoa nursery and had activities in Yawasoro.