Women
in Kutubu, Southern Highlands , have all the
reason to smile as they now own two rice milling machines to boost local
production.
History
was made last Friday when the first gains of white rice poured out of one of
the brand new machines during the launch at Pimaga government station under the
watchful eyes of over 2,000 farmers, mostly women from Foe, Faso and Moran
areas.
Oil
Search Ltd, a resource developer in the oil and gas rich Southern
Highlands province, handed over the two machines to the local
women.
Interest
for local rice production had gained momentum after the Kutubu Foe Women’s
Association (KFWA) started planting rice from upland rice seeds which they
received from NARI Lae in 2008 during the launch of the PNG Women in
Agriculture Development Foundation (PNGDiADF).
In the last few years, more farmers joined to
farm rice, including members of the Namoi Namo Women’s Association (Faso) and
Moran Women’s Association.
However,
a major hurdle was the lack of milling facilities which prompted KFWA, a member
of the PNGWiADF, to seek support from possible avenues.
Through
the PNGWiADF, the Department of Agriculture and Livestock provided a huge Satake
rice milling machine, valued between K30-40, 000, to KFWA.
OSLdonated
another machine, a micro-mill, worth more than K7, 000.
First
dish of milled rice pouring out of a brand new micro-mill at Pimaga in Kutubu
last Friday from upland farming by women farmers from Foe, Faso and Moran areas
|
OSL
facilitated the transportation of both machines to Kutubu.
The
oil and gas developer, in partnership with Moro-based NGO, Community
Development Initiative Foundation, also sourced resource people from NARI and
PNGWiADF from Lae and Christian
Leaders Training
College in Banz to train
interested rice farmers on field production and milling.
This
training was conducted last week for more than 100 interested rice farmers.
During
the launch, Kosi Sosoro, chairman of Kawaso Ltd, who witnessed the event,
presented K2 , 000 each to the three women’s
associations from Kutubu.
OSL
community affairs officers, Paul Sapake and Marc Mulungu, commended the Foe
women for taking the initiative to venture into rice production.
Accolades
also came from CDI-Moro manager Peter John, PNGWiADF president Maria Linibi and
Dr Peter Gendua of NARI.
KFWA
president Naomi Samuel said sago, which took 15-20 years to grow, had been
their staple food all their lives.
She
said the process of extracting sago was laborious and performed mostly by
women, hence, her group had opted for rice to shorten food maturity period and
also supplement household food intake.
Samuel
said the group was aiming to produce large volumes of rice to supply to
catering companies in the project areas.
She
called on mothers from Faso and Moran to cultivate rice and mill them using the
two machines.
The
historical occasion was witnessed by representatives from Esso Highlands,
landowner companies, government representatives, community leaders, NGOs,
school children and farmers.
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