Agriculture

Through programs such as PHAMA Plus and Market Development Facility, Australia is assisting farming communities in the province to develop high-value coffee to export.

When visiting Jiwaka in September, High Commissioner Jon Philp met with coffee growers and exporters to hear their perspectives on the challenges and opportunities in exporting quality coffee.

Through Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research, the Partnership is also supporting commercial production and the marketing of sweet potato for export from the Highlands region.

The allocation of K50,000 by the Rubber Board to support farmers in Gulf Province is confidence in the work done so far since 2017.

Rubber industry complemented the coconut and copra industry as early as 1920s and took off in many provinces as a plantation and estate crop in Central, Gulf, Oro, Morobe, Western, Sepik etc.

“In recent times, we had production falling due to policy intervention and lack of support, whilst plantations sector affected by exit of big operators such as Steamships and Burns Philip etc 

With the Government focus in agriculture to boost economic growth in the country, the launching is timely as Jiwaka is home of coffee production.

MP Marape was accompanied by Minister for Finance, Rainbo Paita, Minister for Agriculture, Aiye Tambua, Minister for Oil Palm Francis Maneke and other Government leaders.

The 2023 Budget promotes and supports the growth of Agriculture Micro Small and Medium Enterprises fitting into the commercial and downstream processing space. 

Courtesy of a partnership between the Cocoa Board of PNG and Wafi-Golpu Joint Venture, the Wabubu Cocoa Cooperative Society became proud owners of a cocoa solar combination dryer on Tuesday, the 6^th of December.

On Tuesday, the community hosted a delegation from the Cocoa Board of PNG and Wafi-Golpu Joint Venture, who were there to officially hand over the clan’s cocoa combination dryer as well as give them their license.

Led by the International Labour Organization (ILO), the Banak-Wautogik road is one of two roads that will support farming communities involved in cocoa, vanilla, and fisheries production to access further markets with more rewarding prices, and open up rural communities for agribusiness opportunities.

Straight after the unveiling, local firm Hiawani Ltd who has been awarded the contract started with grading and clearing of the initial roads section.

PNG Agbook working with the PNG Cocoa Board, organized two sets of trainings for rural farmers in the Sepik region of Papua New Guinea.

Twenty-three (23) farmers who represented farmer groups and agribusinesses in the Sandaun and East Sepik provinces were eager participants in the trainings conducted recently over a two-week period at the PNG Cocoa Board nursery site in Hawain, Wewak District, East Sepik Province.

It contributes to the livelihoods of almost three million people in the country.

However, since the closure of several plantations in PNG, coffee production has continued to decline. Though coffee production in the country is currently driven much by smallholder coffee growers they face several challenges. 

The Cocoa Board of PNG’s Momase regional coordinator, Anton Ningi, highlighted the importance of the freight subsidy program, saying a lack of infrastructure is a costly burden for our rural cocoa farmers to shoulder alone.

Cocoa development in Garaina valley, in Morobe’s Wau-Waria electorate, started in 2015, where 81,000 trees were planted within the three stations of Garasa, Omora and Garaina.

Caspar Nol is in charge of a coffee association in Simbai. He raised this concern recently, adding that farmers in the villagers have a lot of coffee to sell, but cannot bring it to Simbai Station and on to Mt Hagen. 

Mr Nol said he and others look after the coffee warehouse at Simbai. They have bought a tractor and need help in bringing the machinery to Simbai to resolve the transportation issue between local villages and the coffee warehouse.

These included 3000 young girls and women from 40 remote villages as well as educational institutions in the Sepik Region, over the last four months, to mainstream gender and youth inclusion into the agri-food value chain.

In its ongoing mission to mainstream gender concerns and youth inclusion into the agri-food value chain, the EU Funded UN Joint STREIT PNG Programme, in partnership with stakeholders, has conducted 12 sensitisation sessions and training workshops.