Fabian Chow

Aku Kulo is a major kaukua farmer and buyer from the Asaro Valley, about 15 minutes-drive west of Goroka town is now venturing into mechanized farming and needed a market.

Last Thursday, Mr Kulo was surprised by a high-ranking visit to his farm by the board chairman of FPDA Fabian Chow and his two directors Greg Berry and Dos Kauga.

The team visited Mr Kulo’s farm which has developed from an ordinary village farm few years ago into a modern setting with irrigation already making its rounds.

The industry, which started 20 years ago with sole investor RD Tuna in Madang, is concerned that history is repeating itself.

Fabian Chow of PNG Fishing Industry Association says building up the industry required a lot of sweat, dedication and risk-taking.

And once more, Chow says the industry is facing another threshold today.

“We don’t know if we will survive the tough times that we are headed towards. Costs are increasing, kina is short and everything is harder than it was 20 years ago. There’s pain and we need fine tuning in order to survive,” he said.