Agriculture

Home to more than 9,000 rural people, spread across 1,500 cocoa farming households, this remote community faced formidable challenges.

Their cocoa farms were less productive, incomes were meagre, and their educational and health facilities were in disrepair.

Yet, amidst these challenges, the villagers of Hambini dared to dream of a brighter future for their children and access to essential healthcare.

The agreement will cover a five-year partnership (2023-2027) valued on kina to kina basis. This will progress and increase coffee production in the district.

The deal was signed by Coffee Minister Joe Kuli, Kerema MP Thomas Opa, Gulf Governor Sir Chris Haiveta, and CICL chief executive officer, Charles Dambui, and witnessed by the Gulf Administration, coffee ministry and the CICL at Parliament House.

The signing now allows for support to come from both parties in terms of financial and human resource capacity to carry out coffee work in Gulf. 

Minister for Agriculture, Aiye Tambua, said this will be a historical, and first ever formal agreement to be signed between the two countries to target technical training for young Papua New Guinean graduates in agriculture, research and related fields.

The agreement will also capture the field of research in all potential agriculture related disciplines with the department and especially the National Agriculture Research Institute (NARI).

The Minister said that it was about time Western Province began the plantation of rubber, since its launch in 1994 from the North Fly Rubber Limited in Kiunga.

This is Minister Tambua’s aim for Western Province, and also with the inclusion of cattle farming.

“The hardworking people of rubber plantation, I want to assure you that money will come straight to you, and you will benefit. Now our policies are downstream processing and increase in production,” stated Tambua.

Provincial administrator and director for West Agro Holdings and a Vanilla Farmer himself, Robert Kaiyun, Fly Vanilla started buying beans from farmers in mid-2022, paying out in excess of PGK 5,500 to near 100 farmers for 70kg of green and dried vanilla beans. Currently the interest in vanilla farming is increasing.

Starting with vanilla there will be other high value cash crops identified and designed in the West Agro master plan.

Former district administrator for Madang Province, Jimmy Sekum is the man behind the establishment of the Sumgilbar Cooperative Society.

The government recently banned importing of chicken into Papua New Guinea, hoping to create a lucrative industry for farmers nationwide. Many provinces, have since then, taken the initiative to embark in poultry, with some locally packaged chicken assortments already in the shops throughout the country.

General Manager for Social, Performance and Sustainability and Chairman for Ok Tedi Development Foundation, Jesse Pile, shared the focus on Ok Tedi Mining Ltd’s on assisting environmental impacts in the surrounding communities of the Mine.

Adding that OTML will support farming and agriculture projects in the case of extending mine life in the province. OTML was part of the launch of the Kiunga Agro-Industrial Centre and Vanilla Project last on Friday 30^th of June, 2023 at Samagoes, North Fly District.

During the launch of the Kiunga Agri-Industrial Centre and Vanilla Project Launch last Friday (30^th of June) in Samagoes of North Fly District, people of Western are now aiming to turn to Agriculture as the way forward for their future.

Minister for Agriculture, Aiye Tambua, acknowledged the leaders of Western Province (WP), OTML and the Agro-Industrial Centre and Vanilla Project on behalf of the National Government.

DAL Acting Secretary, Dr Nelson Simbiken made the remarks following a meeting with a visiting delegation from the Agencia Brasilera De Cooperacao (ABC) - Brazilian Cooperation Agency) on Monday 26th of Jun, 2023.

The team comprised Paulo Elias M. De Moraes Minister and Director of the Department of Japan, Korean Peninsula and Pacific (DEJP), Antonio Junqueira ABC Brazil), Daniela de Moraes Aviani – Agriculture Attaché at the Embassy of Brazil in Canberra, Australia and Mariana Siqueira Marton – Second Secretary at the Brazilian Embassy in Australia also.