Sepik Villages Receive Farming Tools

The vanilla value chain under the EU Funded UN Joint STREIT PNG Programme has distributed tools and materials to enhance rural communities to improve their rehabilitation practices in cocoa and vanilla blocks.

These include:

  • 120 sets of vanilla cultivation,
  • Husbandry and processing tools including shovels/spade,
  • Gumboots,
  • Pruning baskets,
  • Harvesting knife,
  • Cooking pot,
  • Cooler box,
  • Strainer,
  • Thick cloth,
  • Digital thermometer,
  • Kraft/wax paper,
  • Plastic canvas, and
  • Cardboard box.

The items were distributed to the farmers in 11 villages of Wewak District and four villages of Aitape/Lumi District in Sandaun.

In addition, six vanilla vines treatment shed with a 10,000 vines capacity has been established. The vanilla kits and sheds in total so far is supporting more than 4000 men, women and youths in rural Sepik.

“The transfer of knowledge and skills to farmers and their families is an important extension activity that must be supported with tools and materials. Under the Programme we distributing these items as well with new technology to improve their practice,” explained Programme Coordinator, Dr Xuebing Sun.

“Tools and materials are vital link in adoption of technologies for sustainable farming systems which is being encouraged under the Programme,” added Dr Sun.

Among the recipients were 1000 plus farmers from four remote communities of inland Turubu area in Wewak District of East Sepik Province.

On behalf of youths and women in the village who will also benefit from this intervention, Brigitte Kamiresa, a mother at Mundangai Village, said: “I want to thank European Union. We mothers didn’t attend big schools so our youths or kids will help train us to use these tools and materials to improve our practices.”

The national technical officers of cocoa and vanilla value chain have also explained on the local radios the distribution of tools and materials for farmer groups/clusters that have already been formalised and are supported under the rural agriculture development programme.

“If you have transport, please come to the office at Wharf Road. For those in hard-to-reach areas, we will come to you,” said Michael Lames, National Cocoa Value Chain Officer.

The distribution of quality inputs by the Programme will continue to cover other farmer groups in the Programme’s implementation sites in East Sepik and Sandaun provinces. 

Author: 
Press Release