A day in Goroka with the New Zealand Governor General

The haunting lyrics of that unforgettable Goroka anthem “Welcome to Goroka” reverberates through the air as New Zealand Governor-General Sir Anand Satyanand steps off the Air Niugini Dash 8 plane in Goroka on Wednesday, September 30, 2009.

“Welcome to Goroka, the land of Nokondi, from Daulo Pass across to Kassam Pass…we assure you, the best place is Goroka,” sing school children at Goroka Airport.

 On the tarmac, Sir Anand is welcomed by Asaro mud men, famous for their intimidating headwear.

Some dance with spears, others beat kundus, to welcome him into their exotic and beautiful mountainous land.

Sir Anand and wife Lady Susan Satyanand mingle around with the iconic mudmen and dancers.

It wasn’t as high profile as Australian Prime Minister Kevid Rudd’s Mar 2008 visit, where he received a welcome more befitting a modern messiah than a visiting foreign politician, but Sir Anand’s visit nonetheless shows the importance New Zealand places on Goroka.

Sir Anand’s convoy drive to Kabiufa Adventist High School outside Goroka, which is   thick with students chanting and waving their national flag and New Zealand’s.

At Kabiufa, he assures vegetable growers of Papua New Guinea that his country will assist in whatever way it can to assist the development of PNG’s fresh vegetable industry.

The once-famous vegetable-growing hub at the school is being revived with the assistance and expertise of the Fresh Produce Development Agency.

Kabiufa Farm Fresh Vegetables – during its heyday until closure in 1995 – was renowned for its trademark vegetables.

Sir Anand is impressed to see the fresh vegetables and beautiful flowers of Goroka, which is known for its perennial springtime climate.

“I can see what a wonderful, fertile place this is,” he tells an appreciative, cheering audience of flag-waving students.

“I have been told about the wonderful potential for food (in PNG).

“I think that the initiative to grow food is something that is so vital for the future of Papua New Guinea.

“It is something that New Zealand can assist with.

“It seems a vital project for the future, which will benefit everyone.”

Kabiufa principal Terry Haru says it is an honour to have Sir Anand visit as New Zealand was once an agriculture development partner with the school.

“Some 20 years ago, the New Zealand government became a partner with us in agriculture, where your government funded some agriculture projects here at the school,” he says.

“With the revival of the farm, we are planning to look at developing an agri-business curriculum, where we could train and equip young people with knowledge and skills that they would be able to use to earn their living.

“Our project will aim at addressing issues like school dropouts, employment creation, participation of women in agriculture and agriculture extension service delivery.”

Mr Haru acknowledges the fact that the New Zealand government regularly supports projects initiated by FPDA and the school.

“Through the assistance and partnership of FPDA and your government and through our partnership with FPDA, we will extend our agriculture training programmes to women, youth and the local community farmers, who could benefit in acquiring knowledge and skills to produce vegetables and other farm products and to sell or know how to run their own businesses in other areas as well.”

Sir Anand and Lady Satyanand are draped with gifts including bilums and Highlands woven caps.

The unfazed New Zealand vice regal then walks through the busy Goroka market to see growers and their produce.

After his market walk, there is a visit to Family Voice, a family rights/counseling NGO which has received NZAID assistance, and Coffee Connections, a fair-trade registered, organic certified trader which has exported to New Zealand, as well as other New Zealand-funded projects.

Sir Anand has lunch hosted by Eastern Highlands Governor Malcolm Smith Kela at the Bird of Paradise Hotel before a direct Air Niugini Dash 8 flight to Kopopo in the East New Britain province.

 

 

BBC TV travel host visits Goroka

Caption: Marcel Pool, (far left) with Charley Boorman and his crew. Charley is between two students from the Mt Sion community-based rehabilitation centre

 

A British TV star has praised Volunteer Services Overseas (VSO) for its work in Papua New Guinea.

Charley Boorman, host of the BBC2 travel show “Charley Boorman Sydney to Tokyo: by any means”, said he was surprised at the enthusiasm and work of Eastern Highlands Province-based VSO volunteer Marcel Pool.

Mr Pool is a volunteer physiotherapist working in Goroka and recently took Mr Boorman and his camera crew to the Mt Sion community-based rehabilitation centre, where he runs a training programme for local volunteers.

“When I met Marcel in the middle of Papua New Guinea I wasn’t sure what to expect from VSO and I was taken aback by the enthusiasm of Marcel and the work he is doing out there,” Mr Boorman said.

“I think it’s wonderful that people give up their time to selflessly help others improve their lives.

“I am a huge supporter of the organisation and would encourage anyone to give it a go.”.

Acting British High Commissioner to PNG, Colin Glass, said the VSO continues to bring and inspire positive change in rural communities through the work of volunteers such as Mr Pool.

“Throughout Papua New Guinea you will find VSO volunteers such as Mr Pool introducing and influencing positive change in rural communities,” he said.

“The added bonus is his work will star in the BBC2 travel programme and hopefully woo more volunteers to come to PNG through the VSO network.”

Besides his work at Mt Sion, Mr Pool also does training for local health professionals at the Goroka Base Hospital and is helping to improve the hospital’s physiotherapy unit.

“It was a great experience, they (camera crew) were nice and interesting people and for my colleagues it was very special to have a film crew over to see what they do,” Mr Pool said.

“They could really show off what they have learned and what kind of work they do with physically-challenged people.

“I could see they felt proud and at the same time the visit gave them a sense of appreciation for what they do, it motivated them.”

VSO (PNG) country manager, Karen Simmons, praised Mr Pool and said he was one of about 60 volunteers in different parts of the country.

“Currently there are over 1600 international volunteers working in 42 countries around the world including PNG,” she added.

Mr Boorman’s travel show is scheduled to be broadcast on BBC2 (only in the UK) in autumn 2009 with a book and a DVD to follow. 

 

Nationalism needs a cause

By James Wanjik

 

 

WHEN I wrote the poem; “Road to dependence on independence” as my tribute to our 34 years of nationhood I was moved by very young children of a Catholic Mission- run community school in Nuku, Sandaun Province.

 

 I was listening to a launch of a cooperative Society there on Radio Maria.

 

Upon hearing young children sing very patriotically I recalled a time 34 years ago at Babmu Community School in Wosera where we were taught to sing the national anthem.

 

We were taught every afternoon each school day.

 

We were rolling on till the time Wosera stood with other tribes to lower Australian flag and to raise our very own.

 

We gathered in numbers at Wosera Patrol Post.

 

 It was a time we had been placing on our minds and hearts.

 

It was 16 September 1975.

 

Our nation was born.

 

We were politically free.

 

We shared the joy of liberty.

 

Little did we know that we were on the road to economic dependence.

 

Big Rio Tinto had caught Waigani powerless.

 

It made sure the Panguna mine was the big project that would support our independence.

 

 Instead of helping Rio Tinto manipulated and controlled our leaders and people of Panguna.

 

We saw worst crisis that lasted 10 years.

 

Leaders of today are without vision.

 

Without a vision people cannot set goals.

 

Without goals people are vulnerable to manipulation and control.

 

Our people need a cause for nationalism.

 

Our leaders are helpless and hopeless to provide such a cause.

 

It means we the people must take stock of where we have come from, where we are, and where we had intended to be today.

 

If we truly did such stock take we do have unfulfilled vision. It is the first national goal.

 

Our human development index is still poor.

 

We have not matched economic development underpinned by mines with human development.

 

This means we need to review our development policies and strategies.

 

We also need to review our business models.

 

Since land is a way of life for majority Papua New Guineans development plans and business models must recognise, encourage and support people and land symbiosis.

 

Slowly and surely this new way of development thinking is taking root.

 

We will surely put PNG on a path to liberty.

 

Liberty from manipulation and control by leaders, bureaucrats and big businesses.

 

 29 September 2009

Pictures of today's visit to Goroka by the New Zealand Governor-General

New Zealand Governor General Sir Anand Satyanand and his entourage being taken around Goroka market by Fresh Produce Development Agency production and supply manager Robert Lutulule

Welcome sign for Sir Anand at Goroka Airport

Sir Anand and Lady Susan Satyanand with Eastern Highlands Governor Malcolm Smith Kela

Welcome at Goroka Airport for Sir Anand

Sir Anand meets a young man who sang the welcome song for him

Sir Anand and Lady Satyanand with local dancers

Sir Anand and Lady Satyanand with Asaro mudmen

Welcome banner for Sir Anand at Goroka Airport

Students lining up to welcome Sir Anand at Kabiufa Adventist High School

Goroka flowers for Sir Anand

Sir Anand and Lady Satyanand at Kabiufa Adventist High School

Sir Anand speaking at Kabiufa Adventist High School

Sir Anand presents gifts to Kabiufa Adventist High School principal Terry Haru

Sir Anand receives gifts from Fresh Produce Development Agency corporate services manager Mewie Launa

When in Goroka, do as the Gorokas do...Sir Anand and Lady Satyanand at Kabiufa Adventist High School

More gifts for Sir Anand

Sir Anand being led to a Kabiufa Adventist High School vehetable garden

Sir Anand being shown a cabbage patch at Kabiufa Adventist High School

Sir Anand and Lady Satyanand being shown around Goroka market by Fresh Produce Development Agency general manager Greg Liripu

New Zealand Governor-General assures assistance to Papua New Guinea vegetable growers

New Zealand Governor General Sir Anand Satyanand and Lady Satyanand with dancers at Goroka airport

New Zealand Governor General Sir Anand Satyanand and Lady Satyanand with Asaro mudmen at Goroka airport

Students of Kabiufa Adventist High School line up to welcome New Zealand Governor General Sir Anand Satyanand

New Zealand Governor General Sir Anand Satyanand speaking at Kabiufa Adventist High School

New Zealand Governor General Sir Anand Satyanand with a highlands woven cap at Kabiufa Adventist High School

When in Goroka, do as the Gorokas do...New Zealand Governor General Sir Anand Satyanand and Lady Satyanand at Kabiufa Adventist High School

New Zealand Governor General Sir Anand Satyanand inspecting a cabbage patch at Kabiufa Adventist High School

New Zealand Governor General Sir Anand Satyanand and Lady Satyanand being shown around Goroka market by FPDA general manager Greg Liripu

New Zealand Governor General Sir Anand Satyanand being taken around Goroka market by FPDA manager production & supply Robert Lutulule

New Zealand Governor-General Sir Anand Satyanand today assured vegetable growers of Papua New Guinea that his country would assist in whatever way it could to assist the development of PNG’s fresh vegetable industry.
Sir Anand made the commitment during a visit to the once-famous vegetable-growing hub at Kabiufa Adventist High School, just outside of Goroka, which is being revived with the assistance and expertise of the Fresh Produce Development Agency.
The New Zealand vice-regal also made brief visit to the well-known Goroka market to see growers and their produce.
He was accompanied by his wife Lady Satyanand, New Zealand High Commissioner Niels Holm and his wife Suzette Holm, as well as government officials from both New Zealand and PNG.
Kabiufa Farm Fresh Vegetables – during its heyday until closure in 1995 – was renowned for its trademark vegetables.
Sir Anand said he was very impressed to see the fresh vegetables and beautiful flowers of Goroka, which is known internationally for its perennial springtime climate.
“I can see what a wonderful, fertile place this is,” he told an appreciative, cheering audience of flag-waving students at Kabiufa High School.
“I have been told about the wonderful potential for food (in PNG).
“I think that the initiative to grow food is something that is so vital for the future of Papua New Guinea.
“It is something that New Zealand can assist with.
“It seems a vital project for the future, which will benefit everyone.”
Kabiufa principal Terry Haru said it was an honour to have Sir Anand visit as New Zealand was once an agriculture development partner with the school.
“Some 20 years ago, the New Zealand government became a partner with us in agriculture, where your government funded some agriculture projects here at the school,” he said.
“With the revival of the farm, we are planning to look at developing an agri-business curriculum, where we could train and equip young people with knowledge and skills that they would be able to use to earn their living.
“Our project will aim at addressing issues like school dropouts, employment creation, participation of women in agriculture and agriculture extension service delivery.”
Mr Haru acknowledged the fact that the New Zealand government regularly supported projects initiated by FPDA and Kabiufa Adventist High School.
“Through the assistance and partnership of FPDA and your government and through our partnership with FPDA, we will extend our agriculture training programmes to women, youth and the local community farmers, who could benefit in acquiring knowledge and skills to produce vegetables and other farm products and to sell or know how to run their own businesses in other areas as well.”

Potato screen houses to boost rural economy

Front of one of the new potato screen houses

Side view of the new potato screen houses

FPDA general manager Greg Liripu (right) explains potato culture to Tambul-Nebilyer MP Benjamin Poponawa (centre) and Eastern Highlands agriculture advisor John Sari

The new potato screen houses in the Tambul valley

Tambul-Nebilyer MP Benjamin Poponawa (centre) cuts the ribbon to open the new potato screen houses, assisted by FPDA chairman Fabian Chow

The Fresh Produce Development Agency officially opened its 24 newly-constructed aphid (pest)-proof screen houses for potato mini-tuber production at Tambul in the Western Highlands province last Tuesday.
The total investment by the Papua New Guinea government and the governments of New Zealand and Australia for the development of these 24 screen houses is about K1.2 million.
The government of PNG through the Department of National Planning and Monitoring is the significant funder of the project through its annual development budget.
These 24 screen houses will significantly contribute to the income and livelihoods of many of the resource-poor citizens of PNG, living in the higher altitude areas of PNG.
The seed potato programme is a major programme under FPDA’s production & supply division in terms of development of a single vegetable crop.
FPDA focused on the crop because it is an important source of cash income for the people living in the higher altitude areas of PNG such as Tambul in Western Highlands; Kandep and Laiagam districts in Enga; Upper Mendi, Ialibu and Nembi plateu in Southern Highlands; and Daulo and Okapa in Eastern Highlands, to name a few.
The programme has three components:
1. Plantlets production using tissue culture technique;
2. Mini-tuber production using plantlets; and
3. Field production of elite, mother and certified seed through private seed potato growers
FPDA had an initial agreement with National Agriculture Research Institute in 2004 for NARI to supply 2, 000 plantlets per month.
In 2007, FPDA signed a new agreement with NARI for 6,000 plantlets per month due to the renovation of three old screen houses and construction of nine new screen houses.
Recently, in June 2009, FPDA yet again signed a new agreement with NARI for 12,000 plantlets per month following the construction of 12 new screen houses, which now brings the total number of screen houses to 24.
The total annual requirement of plantlets will now amount to 144,000 plantlets per year.
The 24 houses are expected to yield more than 8,000kg of mini tubers per year.
“This is a significant improvement compared to five years ago whereby FPDA was only able to produce 500 to 1, 000kg of mini tubers per year,” explains FPDA production and supply manager Robert Lutulule.
“The 8,000kg of mini tubers will be further multiplied on station twice before selling to mother and certified private seed growers.
“With an average multiplication rate of 5kg per kg of seed potato, it is expected that 40,000kg of generation one seeds will be produced in one year’s time; 200,000kg of generation two seeds in two year’s time; one million kg of generation three seeds in three year’s time and finally five million kg of generation four seeds in four year’s time.
“The generation four or certified seeds are normally used by ordinary farmers to produce potatoes which are sold in open markets, fast food outlets and hotels.
“The value of this five million kg of seed potatoes is estimated at K10 million, meaning that seed growers have the potential to earn K10m per year from the sale of their seeds.
“These five million kg of seeds is expected to generate more than K25m for ware potato growers per annum.
“With the estimated lifespan of the aphid proof screen houses of 10 years, these 24 screen houses are expected to enrich seed potato growers with K100m and ware potato farmers with K250m over 10 years.”
Currently, the programme has 52 seed growers.
Thirty are located in Western Highlands and Southern Highlands, while 20 are located in Eastern Highlands.
“FPDA has been approached by interested parties in Enga, Southern Highlands and Simbu provinces to help expand the seed potato programme to these respective provinces,” Mr Lutulule adds.
“The seed potato programme provides training, technical support and advisory services free of charge, especially to existing and intending private seed potato farmers.
“It has eight officers who have various degrees of experiences in potato production and seed certification.
“FPDA is currently running an innovative seed potato production scheme with the support of the Eastern Highlands provincial government, whereby, through core funding support from the provincial government, it is identifying and developing ordinary farmers to become competent seed potato farmers in the province.
“The province is now increasingly becoming self-sufficient in seed potato supply because of the project.
“Five years ago, farmers in Eastern Highlands used to source all their seed requirements from Western Highlands’ seed growers.
“The success of this model has convinced FPDA to expand the scheme to other provinces in the Highlands region and the coastal provinces that have climatic conditions suitable for growing potato.”

So who are behind the LNG prospects?

By JAMES WANJIK

 

LIQUEFIED Natural Gas (LNG) is a big multi-billion dollar project in any country.

 Papua New Guinea is vying to make it into this private investment business.

Two separate prospects are rearing for Waigani’s full support.

The Exxon-led consortium has Public Enterprise Ministry support.

All things were done contrary to law to prop up Waigani’s support.

Public Enterprise Ministry was not the legitimate State nominee prior to May 22, 2008.

The Oil and Gas law was amended to legitimise it.

It also amended the law on public enterprises to legitimise appointment of a manager of Oil Search Limited as the chairperson of the Public Enterprise Corporation.

Public Enterprise Corporation held shares in Oil Search Limited on behalf of the State of PNG prior to disposal of those shares to Oil Sheiks of Abu Dhabi.

The last we heard of this was that the proceeds were parked in a Singapore account.

Now InterOil is very diplomatic in its paid advertisement in the Sunday Chronicle (Sunday, 27 September 2009, p.28).

It says it has the support of the Prime Minister.

It hopes other Ministers will support.

The InterOil-led consortium has Petromin in it.

Petromin is the State nominee.

It abandoned its legal right in the Exxon-led consortium.

Had it pursued its right it would have exposed the LNG rot.

 It counted on the Prime Minister as owner and Minister responsible for Petromin to bring on the InterOil-led LNG prospect.

Susuve Laumea is also very diplomatic in his commentary in the Sunday Chronicle, “PNG at risk of losing two LNG projects” (Sunday, 27 September 2009, p.16).

Slowly we are seeing the rot in LNG business and politics being exposed.

 Lot of rumours we have been hearing looks like are real.

Leaders want pay before service.

And they are using position power to be lustful and greedy.

Politicians, be they old or young, are trustees of people power.

As trustees they are duty-bound to make decisions and take actions for the benefit of the people.

 If Susuve Laumea’s assertion is true that leaders and bureaucrats have lost their way then people must demand change.

People power movement ought to be encouraged.

The open letter to the people of PNG by InterOil is a step in the right direction.

It looks like we will see more of these in the not-too-distant future.

When all is said and done, PNG will be free of manipulation and control of leaders, bureaucrats, and big businesses.

God bless PNG and her people.

 

27 September 2009