Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Julie Bishop today launched a project to pilot new rice milling technology in Lae, Morobe Province.
This project is in partnership with the National Agricultural Research Institute’s (NARI) and Trukai Rice.
Through this innovative project, NARI will partner with Trukai to pilot solar powered rice milling equipment in a select number of rice-growing communities in Morobe Province.
Trukai will assist the pilot project by supporting the development of links for rural farmers to commercial markets. The pilot is being facilitated through the Australian Government funded Incentive Fund.
This project builds on the long running partnership between NARI, Papua New Guinea’s hub for agricultural research since its inception in 1996, and the Australian Government. Through this partnership, Australia and Papua New Guinea have been able to share knowledge and skills to improve research capacity. Importantly, this has led to the development and release of new technologies that have enhanced agriculture production for rural farmers. This has particularly benefitted women who play a critical role in the agriculture sector.
Minister Bishop was pleased to observe the benefits of this partnership during her visit to NARI’s headquarters in Lae.
Professor Chalapan Kaluwin, NARI Board Chairman thanked Minister Bishop for the Australian Government support, “The partnership between Australia and Papua New Guinea empowers communities by assisting them to increase production. It has also played a critical role in protecting existing crops and tackling pests – this is critical to food security in PNG”.
Picture: Professor Chalapan Kaluwin, NARI Board Chairman and Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop launch the new solar milling technology to mill rice. Picture courtesy Australian High Commission.