The Wasu cattle farm in the Nipa Kutubu District of Southern Highlands is for the first time, running a potato production enterprise.
Minister for Agriculture John Simon was accompanied by National Planning Minister Renbo Paita on a special invitation from Governor William Powi, to officiate at the launching of this potato production initiative.
The Wasu cow paddock was packed to capacity with pigs brought for slaughter, and traditional dance, in celebration of this. Thousand flocked in from neighbouring Kagua Erave and Mendi Munihu, to participate.
The potato development program in the area was initiated by Fresh Produce Development Agency (FPDA) under its partnership program with interested districts as partners.
The Southern Highlands Provincial Government signed an MoU with FPDA in May 2020, and this was the outcome of that signing.
The five-hectare trial planting was launched by Ministers Simon and Paita. FPDA Managing Director Mark Worinu, Planning Secretary Koney Samuel, Livestock Development Corporation Managing Director Terry Koim and PEC members and representatives from other commodity boards including the National Agriculture Research Institute, were witness to the occasion.
The Wasu cattle farm was also launched with a K100,000 support coming from National Planning.
Governor Powi then presented a cheque of K500,000 to FPDA as part of a K1 million commitment his government made during the MoU.
Powi also presented another K500,000 to Wasu cattle farm project and K200,000 to four farm groups in the area to be equally distributed among those registered groups.
Governor Powi commended the work of the FPDA in the province and urged them to remain as development partners to help locals grow more potato throughout Southern Highlands.
“This is the beginning of transformation. I am planting the seed here. As leaders we see the vision and set the course and I see that this is the way. We can bring change to ourselves if we toil the land,” he said.
Governor Powi said the time for conman and thieves squandering funds from the provincial government to survive has come to an end now.
“We will not entertain such people anymore. We have registered 47 business corporations throughout SHP and these are the ones that will benefit from development funds to improve their business through SME and mostly agriculture programs,” he said.
He stressed that any other form of contracts or partnership with the provincial government will only be channelled through these businesses as they represent the 5 districts and the 20 LLGs.
He said the 47 businesses are managed by LLGs covering the 510 council wards in the province. He emphasised that dealing directly with the people was much better than middlemen and individual businesses.
“I can build roads and bridges but if the people who were supposed to benefit from these are gambling and walking the streets, I have to change the game plan. We have to put the money down so people can start toiling the land to earn their income,” he said.