Reviving the pyrethrum industry in Papua New Guinea

Enga pyrethrum industry development officer Janet Yando (left)chats with Dr Mark Boersma of the University of Tasmania while the NARI and Enga pyrethrum officers(right) inspect the pyrethrum multiplication plots at Sirunki in Enga, last November.-Picture by JOSEPHINE YAGA

By JOSEPHINE YAGA of NARI

C. cinerariifolium looks more like the common daisy.
Its flowers, typically white with a yellow centre, grow from numerous fairly rigid stems. Plants have blue-green leaves and grow to between 45 to 60cm in height.
The plant is no ordinary, as it is economically important as a natural source of insecticide. More importantly, it grew well when introduced in Papua New Guinea in the late 1950s and became a good attractive cash crop for the highlands (2,000 meters and above).
The flowers are pulverised and the active components contained in the seed cases, were extracted and sold in the form of oleoresin.
In the 1950s, C. Cinerariifolium was introduced to the locals as pyrethrum.
From the 1960s to the late 1980s, the pyrethrum industry played a major role in sustaining the livelihood of some 65 - 85,000 people.
The industry was worth K350, 000 to K400, 000 with annual production of 300 tonnes in the early 1970s until its closure in 1995.
Marketing arrangements ceased, production stopped and many of the pyrethrum clones introduced were lost in farmers’ fields.
The loss was beyond a retraceable point.
Reviving the industry meant investing money, an expensive course but a course worthwhile and one provincial government pursed on to sacrifice resources and revive the industry.
Producing about 95% of the country’s pyrethrum during the peak production period, the Enga provincial government saw the need to revive the industry as pyrethrum was seen as Enga’s saving grace when the Porgera gold mine winds down.
Botanical Resource centre in Australia - Agricultural Services Pty Ltd (BRA) was contacted by the PNG pyrethrum industry during November 2003 and there has been ongoing communications since that time.
BRA is one of the two largest pyrethrum producers in the world and in recent years, BRA has supplied 40% of the world usage of pyrethrum products.
Following an approach from the senior management of technical assistance screening and management unit, (TASMU) a unit of the Department of National Planning and monitoring during August 2005, BRA hosted a visit to Tasmania by an Engan government delegation.
It was led by the governor and signed a business agreement where the Enga government agreed to supply exclusively to BRA and BRA agreed to purchase a specific quantity of pyrethrum oleoresin at a set price for the three years commencing in 2006.
The primary aim of this project was to assist the PNG pyrethrum industry to recommercialise into a profitable and sustainable industry.
The secondary aim was to assess the plant physiology factors contributing to pyrethrum yield in Australia.
The project objectives were: to develop improved pyrethrum planting materials a and improved agronomic practices for PNG; to assist in the adaptation of improved pyrethrum production extraction practices by the PNG pyrethrum industry; to assess the plant physiological factors contributing to pyrethrum yield in PNG and Australia; and to improve the compatibility of PNG pyrethrum extract and BRA refining process.
This project has a number of innovative features.
Transfer of outputs from ongoing research and development (R and D) to farmers is a key feature. Enga Pyrethrum Company (EPC) has its own research programme, backed by BRA input in the ACIAR pyrethrum project, and NARI has ongoing R and D work to assist the pyrethrum industry.
This is the development of improved agronomic practices, selection and development of higher yielding pyrethrum varieties by the delivery of high quality germplasm seed planting material.
With this backing, a further innovation of this project is providing a dedicated and tailored programme to accelerate the widespread release of higher yielding varieties coupled with awareness on improved and sustainable production, extension and training.
NARI is providing support to the manufacturing operations and research, and high quality germplasm seed production.
NARI’s agronomist, Kud Sitango said the first multiplication of clones was done in Toluma in Enga after clones from areas in Enga, Tambul in the Western Highlands and Gembogl in Chimbu province were collected and their characteristics observed and analysed.
Duplicates of these pyrethrum clones are managed in NARI’s high altitude research station to support and continue work on pyrethrum in PNG.
Enga pyrethrum development officer, Janet Yando said: “Farmers are not serious to invest in pyrethrum for commercial purpose.
“With less human resource to support extension work, serving farmers scattered around Enga’s tough geography is a daring task and it takes courage to pursue a generation that has lost hope producing pyrethrum.”
She added that if the people could commit land and resource for pyrethrum, the industry would be up and could serve them well.
Yando started extension work in Enga since 2006 and has been distributing pyrethrum seedlings to more than 10, 000 farmers in Enga.
It was about four years ago when the Enga provincial government took over.
They have spent about K3 million to fix the factory and make it workable again. Awareness of best production practice is pursued to help farmers increase production.
A standard price of K2.50 is paid for every kilo of dry pyrethrum to encourage farmers to plant more and sell and people have started producing pyrethrum again.