A groundbreaking ceremony for a rice training farm was held today at the University of Technology, in Lae.
Following a partnership between Trukai Industries and Unitech, the ceremony will commence the construction of rice farming facilities for participants of Trukai’s smart farmer program.
“This was a barren bit of ground, this time last year,” said Trukai Industries’ CEO, Alan Preston.
“With Unitech’s guidance and assistance, we’ve put together a business relationship to educate and train farmers from all over the country on how to grow rice for the village, how to grow rice for cash crop.
“What you see here is 10 hectares of success and achievement. A hundred-and-five farmers were trained here in January on how to grow rice, how to take that insight and experience and that learning back to their village.”
Trukai Industries is a subsidiary of the SunRise Group, which owns two-thirds of the company while the remaining shares are held by the people of PNG through the Melanesian Trustee Services.
Present at the event was SunRise Group CEO, Rob Gordon, who said the most enduring and sustainable way of developing the rice industry in PNG is through the grassroots approach.
“The fact that this is at a grassroots level, we’re able to have farmers graduating, go back to their own land and have a visit from our experts to see how they’re going to make sure that this is actually something that they repeat,” said Gordon.
“I gather that we’ve also had farmers now in certain parts of the country who are multiple croppers who have been doing this for years, which does talk to the sustainability of this program.”
Gordon commended the Unitech team, describing their partnership as “deep”, adding SunRise is pleased to support it through Trukai.
“To my mind, I think this needs to be really celebrated throughout the country and we really do need to make sure that the political profile of this is gained so that people see a difference can be made, but more at a grassroots level, then necessarily just banner headlines.”
The groundbreaking ceremony will commence the construction of two dome sheds, two silos, a rice drying facility, mini seed cooling room and an office space.
(At the groundbreaking this morning at Unitech – From left: Trukai Industries’ CEO, Alan Preston, SunRise Group CEO, Rob Gordon, Chairman of Trukai Industries and director of Rice Growers Ltd, John Bradford, Unitech acting vice chancellor, Dr Garry Sali and Unitech’s head of agriculture department, Macquin Maino)