Inaugural Agri Trade Expo set for June in Kimbe

KIMBE, West New Britain Province, is all geared up for the inaugural Agri Trade Expo scheduled for June 6-7, 2009.
Chairman of the Agri Trade Expo Andrew Runawery (pictured left) announced this in Port Moresby last Friday.
This year’s expo is specifically tailored to harness two awesome days of fun-filled activities for corporate houses, government institutions and statutory bodies, mon-government organisations, donour agencies, small farmers and aspiring agri entrepreneurs to demonstrate, promote, educate and exhibit their products and services to the general public.
“We are providing an avenue for effect communication or dissemination of information at the expo,” Mr Runawery said.
“The province is growing politically, socially and economically.
“Sometimes referred to as the ‘oil palm province’, it was the first in the country to trial the government-established oil palm industry in 1967.
“Since then it has never looked back.
“There are now 40 plantation estates and 30 resettlement schemes to date, including numerous village oil palm blocks.
“West New Britain is now a leader in the agriculture sector in the Islands Region.
“The province also has abundant natural resources such as timber, fisheries, cattle and also gold, which is currently in its advanced exploration stage at Mt Pench.
“There are also other cash crops supporting the local economy, that is, copra and cocoa. “However, palm oil still remains the major income earner.”
Mr Runawery said this was a new concept initiative in Kimbe.
“The Agri Expo concept is linked to and complements other existing plans and policies which the government has endorsed, and is in accord with the core development strategy Medium Term Development Strategy 2005-2010 (Department of National Planning and Rural Development, 2004), and consistent with the requirement to empower Papua New Guineans to mobilise their own resources for a higher living standard.
“We are committed in supporting all stakeholders to sustained growth which will increase our position of strength and enlarge our worth to the community.
“We will create an environment that recognises, rewards, provides personal growth, self-esteem and above all, empower Papua New Guineans to mobilise their own resources for a higher living standard.”
Mr Runawery said this event endeavored to sow a seed into the mindsets of this generation, the next and beyond in West New Britain to stay at home and work the land.
“It is fertile and there are spin-off projects that one can engage into from palm oil or start something new,” he said.
“There is no need to flock into the other major centres to look for opportunities.
“Education and the Job market is ‘bottled necked’ there.
“Flocking into these centres creates further congestion and adds to more social issues.
“The event has been given tremendous support in its early stages by the both the corporate sector and government institutions.
“A numbers of PNG’s leading finance institutions and agri business houses were amongst the first to book/secure stall placings upon the event’s first announcement.
“Special reservations were made to cater for the Health Department to conduct awareness on HIV AIDS, TB and also various law enforcement agencies to conduct awareness on social issues.
“This year’s event will be a catalyst and a model for future like events to emulate.
“Dorland Marketing and Event Management will manage the Expo.
“Dorland has a solid business acumen in agri business development and management and, therefore, is ideally competent to manage an event of such magnitude.”
Mr Runawery extended an invitation to other interested stakeholders and sponsors to join the expo bandwagon this year.
To secure your stall or sponsor the event, obtain a copy of the agri trade expo information kit via email dorlandmgt@yahoo.com

Six warm-weather crops for your vegetable garden

In Papua New Guinea, the weather is warm all year-round, and you can start your vegetable garden at your backyard.
But what garden plants should you grow?
Here is a list of six must-have warm weather plants for your vegetable garden.

Hot Peppers

Peppers are great plants to grow in your garden.
Why?
They are a main ingredient in salsa and hot sauces.
Even the peppers that are mildly hot can be used in the kitchen.
Peppers can be dried through traditional methods such as tying up, much like herbs, or slow roasting them on low heat in the oven for a few hours.
The peppers can then be ground up into spices.
 Cayenne is a popular pepper to dry and use ground up.
Peppers are easy to grow even if you have a shorter growing season than some.
Hot peppers tend to take a little longer than the sweet peppers (such as banana and bell peppers) and are better to start seeds inside or start by transplants.
They are similar to tomatoes in growth and likes and dislikes.
Not many pests affect peppers, as the leaves and stems are quite nasty and are toxic to most creatures when ingested.

Tomatoes

There is nothing like a ripe, red, juicy tomato, or even a few cherry tomatoes or some green and yellow tomatoes.
Red is just the traditional color everyone thinks of when they hear about tomatoes.
But the other colors are quite tasty and great in pastas.
Tomatoes are quite easy to grow.
In most cases, starting the seeds inside under grow lights or buying transplants is the way to grow the best tomatoes.
Tomatoes like warm climates and do not tolerate frost well even when well established.
Cherry tomatoes are a fun tomato to grow.
Cherry tomatoes are like miniature tomatoes.
They are small and usually very sweet.
They are fun to grow in containers and great to use in salads or as a snack for the kids.

Squash (and Family)

These are probably the easiest of the vegetables to grow, especially when the weather is very warm.
 They are warm weather crops and don’t tolerate frost well. But they love the warmth of the color black and often grow vigorously when planted in old tires.
Zucchini are in the squash family and are very similar in culture to squash.
 There are many varieties of squash including the winter squash which matures later.
Pumpkins are closely related and also do well in tires and containers.
Take an old tire and fill in with soil.
A good soil mixture would contain amounts of perlite or vermiculite to help moisture retention.
Since these plants are planted during the hot summer season, they will need lots of moisture retention properties.
 Mound up the soil in the center of the tire and plop in three to four squash seeds.

Cucumbers

Fresh cucumbers from the garden are a wonderful addition to your salad or even just as they are.
They are similar to squash in that they love warm weather.
You can grow the cucumbers, like the squash, in tires and in mounds of soil.
There are two main types of cucumbers: the vining ones and the bush types.
The vining cucumbers will vigorously produce in the best conditions.
They might produce all summer long.
They might also need some sort of trellis to grow on or a long piece of yard since they vine out everywhere. Better yet, grow your cucumbers along with your corn and they will use your corn stalks as a pole to climb on.
That way you don't waste space.
The bush type cucumbers grow in bush fashion, only growing so high and so wide when they produce. These cucumbers are great for container gardening or if you don’t have a lot of space.

Beans

Beans are wonderful to grow and there is so much taste in fresh green beans.
There are many varieties of beans that you can grow.
Pole beans can grow quite tall and get out of hand if not ready for their vigorous vining growth.
They will need some sort of support. A pole bean tower is recommended.
This tower is a six foot (or higher) tower that allows the beans to climb up the tower in a smaller area. It makes it easier to harvest the beans.
Bush beans are beans that don't quite grow as prolific as their pole bean counterparts, but they can produce just as much if the conditions are right. Bush beans are great for containers and smaller areas.
While green beans are the most popular, beans do come in many shapes and sizes, even colors.
 Harvest regularly to get the most out of beans.
They will be ready to harvest in as little as 60 days from planting.
 If you want smaller yet extended harvests of the beans, then succession planting is recommended. Succession planting is planting a row, then waiting about two to three weeks, and planting another row. That way, the rows will mature and produce at different times, giving an extended harvest.

Corn

Corn is planted by seed usually in rows.
Corn does better if a lot is planted.
At least a five-foot plot is recommended to get the best results and best pollination rates.
 Corn self-pollinates but it needs other corn near it to do so, so it is vital to have several rows of corn.
Corn growth is dictated by large amounts of space, but there is corn that is better for smaller spaces.
This corn doesn’t grow quite as tall or long as the other varieties.
Push the corn seed at least a half inch into the ground.
This helps avoid common pests such as birds and other seed eating creatures.
Cover the seeds and make sure the corn is kept watered.
Don't let it dry out.
Plant the corn at least six inches apart in the row with the rows about 10 inches apart.
More space is recommended for disease and pest control.
In a more controllable environment such as a container, however, the rows and plants can be sown closer together.
There are many varieties of corn with a common one being the sweet corn variety.

Making money from your flowers

Caption: Mrs Bertha Kamit is actively involved in promoting the  floriculture industry.

By VERONICA MANUK

Floriculture, or flower farming, is an industry that has been dormant for years and needs to be revived.
This is according to Bertha Kamit, an extension officer with the division of primary industry in East New Britain, who says one can earn a lot from the floriculture industry if more effort is put into it.
Mrs Kamit graduated from Papua New Guinea’s oldest tertiary institution, Popondetta Agriculture Training Institute - now a campus of the University of Vudal - in 1980 and joined the division of primary industry at Kokopo as a nutrition officer.
She resigned in 1984 due to family commitments and returned to work in 1991 as an extension officer with Pomio district.
As an extension officer, she has been involved in many activities such as the eradication of cocoa pod borer, Newcastle disease, Women in Agriculture and many others.
Her commitment and hard work brought her to attend the launching of floriculture in Port Moresby in 2006.
“My interest began to build up so I started developing my backyard with flower planting and decorations in offices,” Mrs Kamit said.
Her backyard attracted and motivated a lot of people, especially women.
With the knowledge she gained, she ran workshops and training for women in the province.
Apart from beautifying homes and offices, Mrs Kamit says flowers are also given as gifts and used at important events such as weddings, birthdays, funerals, graduation ceremonies and shows.
Floriculture also provides a good income.
For instance, she charges K200 for backyard planting, while gifts and decorations for different occasions have their own fees.
She also has pot plants that can be hired for decorations of venues.
Mrs Kamit is grateful for the agricultural training she received that has enabled her to be successful in her hobby.
“I thank the college and the people who had trained me to become a successful woman,” she said.
Floriculture, according to Wikepedia, is a discipline of horticulture concerned with the cultivation of flowering and ornamental plants for gardens and for floristry, comprising the floral industry.
“The development plant breeding of new varieties is a major occupation of floriculturists,” it says.
“Floriculture crops include bedding plants, flowering plants, foliage plants or houseplants, cut cultivated greens, and cut flowers.
“As distinguished from nursery crops, floriculture crops are generally herbaceous. “Bedding and garden plants consist of young flowering plants (annuals and perennials) and vegetable plants.
“They are grown in cell packs (in flats or trays), in pots, or in hanging baskets, usually inside a controlled environment, and sold largely for gardens and landscaping. “Geraniums, impatiens, and petunias are the best-selling bedding plants. “Chrysanthemums are the major perennial garden plant in the United States.
“Flowering plants are largely sold in pots for indoor use.
“The major flowering plants are poinsettias, orchids, florist chrysanthemums, and finished florist azaleas.
“Foliage plants are also sold in pots and hanging baskets for indoor and patio use, including larger specimens for office, hotel, and restaurant interiors.
“Cut flowers are usually sold in bunches or as bouquets with cut foliage.
“The production of cut flowers is specifically known as the cut flower industry.
“Farming flowers and foliage employs special aspects of floriculture, such as spacing, training and pruning plants for optimal flower harvest; and post-harvest treatment such as chemical treatments, storage, preservation and packaging.
“In Australia and the United States some species are harvested from the wild for the cut flower market.”

Port Moresby General Hospital over its limits: Heatlh Minister

By WALLACE KIALA

THE Port Moresby General Hospital (POMGH) cannot cater for the city’s expanding population, Minister for Health and HIV/AIDS Sasa Zibe said last Friday, The National reports.

Therefore, the Health Department and the National Capital District Commission (NCDC) were working in collaboration to improve and expand four clinics in the suburbs, he said.

Speaking during the swearing-in of the hospital’s new board, Mr Zibe said the hospital did not have the required resources to function effectively and fulfil its expected role and responsibility.

He said the national hospital was currently providing medical services way beyond its scope; it was serving a population far larger than its capabilities.

At the moment it is serving the NCD, Central and Gulf provinces.

Mr Zibe said POMGH was a national referral hospital and a teaching hospital and should set best clinical and medical practices where young people learn the right attitudes of being a doctor, a nurse or an allied health worker.

He said the Health Department reforms, which were being carried out in collaboration with the NCDC, were of importance to POMGH.

To ensure sound public health management, a team led by Dr Timothy Pyakalyia had been assigned to work with NCDC to provide professional advisory support.

Under this strategy, it is envisioned that the four urban clinics at Hanuabada, Gerehu, Kaugere and Nine-Mile would be upgraded to be able to perform normal deliveries and to focus on overall maternal and child health services as well as minor illnesses.

“If all goes well, this arrangement would ensure fewer burdens on POMGH, allowing it to focus on its core functions,” Mr Zibe said.

The new board members sworn in included deputy chairman and community representative Rahe Maraki, Rev Somi Setu (church rep), Robin Yanapa (NCDC) and Dr Sylvester Kotapu (Central provincial health).

Current chairman Sir Brian Bell and business community representative Cathy Johnston and women’s representative Sose Tamarua were reappointed to the board.

The ceremony was witnessed by Health secretary Dr Clement Malau, his deputy Dr Paison Dakulala, POMGH chief executive officer Dr Alphonse Tay and senior Health Department and hospital staff.

Meanwhile, Sir Brian called on Mr Zibe to fast-track the disbursement of more than K20 million approved by the Government for infrastructure development and maintenance of major facilities at the hospital.

Sir Brian said work on major hospital projects had been stalled due to lack of funding.

He said that since the hospital was functioning as a primary, secondary and tertiary health care facility and a national referral teaching hospital, the board’s plea for increase in manpower and other resources must be given high priority.

 

Don't lose golden opportunity

By Dr TANA KIAK

Xiangya, China

 

I REFER to the report “Doctors attacked” (The National, Feb 17).

I am shocked and ashamed of the incident.

As a local medical doctor from Hela studying overseas, it truly saddens me to read of such a barbaric attack on foreign medical volunteers who have, in the last few months, devoted their time, skills, effort and expertise for free to provide valuable medical care to the people of Hela.

Such medical health services had been missing for the last 15 years.

I condemn the hospital security guard for attacking hospital staff.

Before Tari Hospital had Dr Bravy Koensong as CEO and Doctors Without Borders (MSF) volunteers, my mum would call me to ask what drugs to prescribe for patients when she was on-call at the hospital.

We had patients not only from the Hela region but also from Mendi, Hagen, Wabag, Kudjip and even Goroka.

Before I came to Xiangya, China, to further my studies, I had to treat all sorts of problems, ranging from medical to paediatric to gynaecological and obstetrics.

The situation has now improved with the presence of the CEO and MSF volunteers.

We had been crying out for services and now that we have them, please look after them.

Such golden opportunity comes only once.

How can we guarantee the safety of our local doctors and those from overseas?

This is a serious question and the leaders of Hela must think carefully.

We cannot afford to have such “attitude” problems.

As a medical professional from the Hela region, I would like to convey my sincere apology to the MSF team.

I also would like to congratulate them for the job well done so far.

The incident did not really show the true colours of the people of Hela.

I hope this incident will not drive the MSF team away.

The people of Hela are behind the team.

Finally, the culprit must face the full force of the law.

 

Enforce taxi meter ruling

By DAVID KOMBAKO, Port Moresby

 

I REFER to the installation of taxi meters.

I am a regular taxi user and since the ruling came into effect at the beginning of this year, I’ve come to realise that there is a “sinister” practice by certain taxi drivers to conceal their meters with pieces of cloth so that passengers will not be able to see them.

Why are taxi drivers concealing their meters from passengers?

What is the motive?

Why are they questioning the legality of a policy initiated by the duly constituted authority (ICCC) to regulate public transportation?

I asked a couple of drivers about the meters in taxis and I got conflicting replies.

“The meter is an expensive instrument that will keep the small people from using taxis.”

I am not sure if this is true.

 For example, for taxis without meters, I pay K30 from airport to Waigani but only K20 for those with meters.

Obviously something fishy is going on.

Can the ICCC and the National Road Safety Council look into this and enforce the meter policy?

Flush out raskols

By CONCERNED, Mt Hagen

I refer to the letter “Genoka, a refuge for criminals” (The National, Feb 18).

I was recently in Goroka and saw first hand that raskols, after committing a crime, headed straight for Genoka settlement.

Unfortunately, no one went after them, not even the police.

Something must be done to stop criminal activities in our peaceful province.

I call on to the authorities and the Police Commissioner to look seriously into the matter.

Otherwise, we are chasing investors and tourists away.

 Lets us make Eastern Highlands a trouble-free and peaceful province.