Noni - emerging cash crop for Papua New Guinea

Share of noni market value by smaller Pacific Island countries

Ripe noni fruits

 By BELINDA YAWANIES of NARI

Papua New Guinea has a wealth of unique plant genetic diversity that exhibits a great potential for economic growth.

Noni (Morinda citrifolia L) is one such potential plant specie that is indigenous to PNG and grows extensively throughout the Pacific.

 Not only has it been used as a traditional or bush medicine in PNG but also a source of antioxidants and medicine for today’s contemporary world.  

The worldwide market for noni products is growing with most productions coming from the Pacific.

 However, PNG has not produced noni commercially even through it is rated as one of the top 10 Pacific Island countries with potential for noni production.

But the interest for noni in the country is evidenced with the informal sector producing noni products for local markets despite unavailability of standards to monitor and safe guard the quality aspects of the products for improved markets.

Noni grows prolifically anywhere even under very harsh conditions such as the coral atolls, providing it a good crop for populace in disadvantaged or marginalised regions of PNG.

 The medicinal properties of Noni were discovered more than 2000 years ago, by the Polynesians, who imported the fruit from Southeast Asia.

Today the noni fruits are eaten in many parts of the world, mainly in the Pacific Islands, Southeast Asia and Australia.

Though the ripe noni fruit has a not so pleasant taste and odour, all parts of the noni plant can be used: roots, stems, bark, leaves, and flowers and of course the fruits.

Noni has been reported to have a range of health benefits for colds, cancer, diabetes, asthma, hypertension, pain, skin infection, high blood pressure, mental depression, atherosclerosis and arthritis.

Those who recovered from illness after eating the noni fruit called it “the fruit of God”.

In 2003, noni juice was approved by the European Commission as a novel food and was allowed to be commercialised in the EU.

At the global market, a 2008 joint report by FAO/WHO on food standards programme indicated that the noni market was estimated to be a US$ 400 million in 2001 to a US$ 2 billion industry in 2006.

This is a huge market, providing an opportunity for PNG to explore and benefit.

PNG can learn from other smaller Pacific Island countries that are currently successful in this venture.

A 2009 Samoa Morinda Citrifolia (nonu) Case study report on Samoa noni indicates that the Tahitian Noni International (TNI), a US-based company operating in Tahiti, which is currently one of the leading producers of noni, has  made US$ 33 million in 1997, the first year of its operation, US$ 2 billion in 2003 and over 4 billion by 2008.

Captivated by this meteoric growth of TNI and the high prices being paid for noni products (particularly juice), several countries in the Pacific have commenced their own commercial production and export to large number of countries like Australia, New Zealand, USA, Japan and Europe.

Amongst these were Cook Islands, Fiji, Tonga, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Samoa and several others, but overall Samoa achieved the greatest success in terms of sustained export value and volume.

The drive in this industry especially in Samoa is through the private sector.

The growing use and consumption of noni cosmetics and food supplements present a good opportunity for development in PNG.

However, even with the informal sector interest, there are key issues that need to be addressed for this industry to take off.

A collaborative effort is required from different parties along the value chain.

There is need for collaboration and partnership between research and development organisations, extension agencies, processors or marketers (private sector), smallholder farmers, and policy makers for this development.

Thorough research is needed into post-harvest (processing and quality control), markets, and product development issues as these are the very important links to development.

The findings will help scope out the feasibility of this crop as a new industry with the development of standards enabling quality assured noni production for both the domestic and export markets.

Current research at NARI involves the collection and assembling of a number of noni varieties that exist in different costal forests of PNG.

Propagation techniques have been identified through research for mass propagation and production of crops true-to-type for commercial development.

Research into components of the value chains is vital as recognised by NARI and will be pursued to create information needed for the establishment of this industry.

Other organisations like Ramu Agri-Business (RAI) and the Department of Agriculture and Livestock are also recognising the importance of this crop with RAI incorporating it in its diversification programme.

Noni is a potential cash crop for PNG and stakeholders need to collaborate and encourage partnership for its development for revenue generation and growth.

With the current market opportunities, noni is sure to have a good future market prospect.

This is a huge potential to value adding and linking farmers to markets.

 It also offers alternatives in light of emerging challenges such as climate change and pest and disease outbreak (eg.cocoa pod borer).

 The development of this crop to industry level will contribute to creating employment and improving income for the rural population, and contribute to improved and sustained economic growth.

Votes of no-confidence and integrity of leaders

From JAMES WANJIK

 

Papua New Guinea is back to its old game.

Leaders want power at any cost.

There is no shame for name and fame.

Apart from the period 1972- 1977 and 2002- 2007, there is no other time in modern PNG history where leaders worked for PNG people without fear of no confidence votes.

From 1980 and later years, leaders' war paths were made by love of money.

Money and more of it.

At independence in 1975 our leaders were people's leaders.

People were reason for leadership.

Now we take leadership as a business venture.

Leaders and their advisers see leadership as a means for money.

 People wait while leaders fight over positions for money.

In only 34 years after independence leaders have made our people leaderless.

No leader will be without blame. Love of money has left no leader blameless.

Now more people know this truth.

Nasty politics of leaders are well known.

They are very troubled.

Scandals, lies, deceits and plots are starting to emerge.

Even vulgar language of leaders is paraded.

When a lawyer warned leaders about many bad behaviours leaders went berserk.

Money and more of it was what leaders work for.

Many about-faced leaders will do anything for money.

 In the July 2010 session of Parliament, leaders were at different camps for different reasons but with one purpose; money.

 Lending credibility to this circus-like game was a Deputy Prime Minister of a ruling coalition.

He left his leadership and ran after Prime Minister's position with media hype.

Leaders who left with him are reportedly going back to their vomits.

For the first time leaders are openly parading their lack of integrity.

No more will people let their leaders run wild for money, name, fame and position.

Very soon leaders will face the truth.

Truth is people will not tolerate leaders without integrity.

 

Papua New Guinea’s prized possession: its people and their way of life

From MAVARA HANUA

 

There is an old Jewish saying;  a poor man looks out the window of his house and see the birds, green meadows, clear streams and breathes the fresh air from his cabin. 

 

A rich man however paints the whole world silver so all he sees is the reflection of him. 

 

When a dear friend told me this saying, I had visions of the majority of our people.                   

 Poor as they are, they are the happiest people in the country. 

Like their forefathers, they wake up every day looking for inspiration. 

Whether its praying to God, smelling the rich scent of the flora, admiring the might of gashing rivers, yep, its uplifting.  

 Hard working folks they are, they toil the land to conjure a healthy harvest of yams, kau kau and taro, they casted nets for the fishes in the sea, drone the land for abundance of boars, wallabies and muruks. 

 The landscape was indeed plentiful.  

For the past 40 years, our landscape has dramatically changed and so have our values. 

Our simpleton wantoks have learnt that opportunities come not from the land and sea alone but from the shining bright valleys of Lae, Goroka, Hagan, Wewak, Port Moresby etc where education, jobs, crime and prostitution give way for a better life. 

When they go back to the village, they're people are mesmerised by their glittery clothes, hip mobiles and their views on everything. 

They are progressive and they quickly gain respect. 

Church elders want them to be leaders, local school wants them to be on the board, petty gangs give them the lions share of stolen goods, young girls want to be like them as they see the rewards of getting paid to be beautiful. 

Unlike their forefathers, when they wake up to look outside the window for inspiration, they want to paint it silver. 

 So when we see the view of Fairfax Harbor from their plush offices, corrugated iron shacks in Bundi Camp, the ceiling of a motel in Hagen, they want to see themselves. 

Yep, gardens have been replaced with bank balances; artisanal fishing with crime and the hunt is a couple of plastic papers for a screw. 

PNG is a melting pot of the old - new, city - village, highlands -  coastal, kong kong – whiteman, homemade – factory made, pumuk - sex tapes, Christian – non Christian, this is the landscape of PNG.  

So my fellow Papua New Guineans, I ponder what nation we have become. 

 Is the silver landscape reflecting a few, good for our country or are the old days where the land was plentiful? 

 I don't know, but living in the now, I love the challenge our great land demands. 

Oh yeah, it's tough, sleezy and cold but when that smile breaks up in the faces of our people, it's a land of hope. 

A land where a kaleidscope of cultures is in abundance, where tenacious rough neck men pride on their conquests,  beautiful mothers uphold us in prayers, brothers that stand with us when all is lost, sisters that comfort us when we are nothing and our children that look at us as the only important thing in the world. 

We hold the destiny of our nation and it is my prayer we embrace everything our nation has because that is who we are. 

 It is only by doing this; we can begin to ask the difficult questions on how to improve our way of life. 

Kokoda beefed up

Over the next few days, charter flights from Port Moresby will fly into a number of Northern villages delivering building materials and supplies for schools and aid posts in Manari, Efogi, Naduri, Kagi and Kokoda station, The National reports.

 Among the items also are safety cones and maintenance tools for the upkeep of Kokoda Track airstrips.

The assistance is the result of a joint commitment by the PNG and Australian governments’ Kokoda Initiative, aimed at addressing safety issues along the track.

 

 

Gunslinger runs amok in Port Moresby

Shotgun and police-issued firearm recovered

 

A SECURITY guard shocked Papua New Guineans when he stood in the middle of a road and aimed a gun at oncoming traffic in Port Moresby yesterday, The National reports.

He was knocked down by a taxi and was arrested by police in the peak hour morning traffic drama.

At press time, police were still interrogating the guard to determine the reason for his “renegade behaviour” on Sir John Guise Road near the new bus station opposite the stadium.

Police have also recovered a pump action shotgun and a police-issued firearm, but it could not be ascertained if the weapon was loaded at the time.

There was no firing but guard’s senseless action sparked the circulation of an email that spread like wildfire, panicking some of its readers.

The contents of the email, supposedly from an eyewitness, gave an even scarier and worrying account of the drama.

The National tried to trace the source of the email the whole of yesterday but failed.

The email account: “We were attacked by a wanna-be-suicide gunman who opened fire at oncoming traffic and pedestrians just outside the new Vision City and Golden Bowl Freeway bus stop!

“I was in the bus and this madman stood in the middle of the road and was just spraying bullets everywhere!

“When our bus approached, he sprayed down our windscreen missing the driver . . . we all dived for cover and our bus went out of control and hit a dead stop . . . the gunman ran towards us and tried to climb in and opened fire when a taxi driver behind us saw it and, at full speed, smashed the guy, sending him flying in the air . . . the gunman was a Highlander in full police uniform . . . when he landed on the ground, he got up and took out more guns and started shooting again.

“He then jumped onto another double cab driven by a Central woman and child behind us and then smashed the glasses and shot the woman . . . luckily she bent her head and the bullet grazed her eyes . . . when all the men from the PMVs and bus stopped, plus the construction workers from Vision City, ran out to help us . . . the gunman took out grenades and more silencers and shotguns and just sprayed his heart away . . . I managed to smash my window, jump out of the bus and ran all the way to the office as the guy kept running after us and firing . . . he couldn’t be caught and ran off . . . Please all be on alert!

“All the police numbers are ringing out and we can’t get in touch.

“So far, we rang Kalang FM to broadcast the incident as the guy was saying something that he will go to town or walk into a primary school . . . and go on rampage  ... soooooo scary ...”

Metropolitan police operations head Supt Andy Bawa told The National late yesterday afternoon that according to police investigations, the contents of the email were all “rubbish” except for the fact that a taxi had knocked him to the side of the road and was picked up by a police reservist unit of a commercial bank.

“No shots were fired or anything damaged or anyone hurt,” he added.

Bawa said police would be questioning the security firm and also conduct an internal investigation into how a gun belonging to a police officer got into the hands of a civilian.

The police headquarters also appealed to the public yesterday to refrain from spreading unsubstantiated rumours following the email which caused unnecessary panic among city residents.

New laws include life sentence for sex crimes

AMENDED laws for sexual violence and crimes against women and children will see prison terms increasing from five to seven years and a maximum of life imprisonment, The National reports.

According to the Criminal Code Act (Amended) 2003, these penalties covered the crimes of sexual penetration, molesting and indecent acts against children under the age of 16 and women.

Speaking at the conclusion of a three-day regional workshop in Lae, Morobe, on Wednesday, deputy public prosecutor Nicholas Miviri said sexual penetration without consent was deemed as rape and the circumstances of aggravation raised the maximum penalty to life in prison.

Miviri explained that under the amendment, the penalties start from seven years to life imprisonment.

The government had, in 2001, amended the PNG sex offence laws after finding them to be “outdated”.

It consequently passed the Criminal Code (sexual violence and crimes against children) Amendment Act 2003 and the Evidence (Amendment) Act 2003.

Miviri, however, expressed concern that the new laws were not being used by the prosecutors, including the police and social welfare workers.

He said that on many occasions, the offenders got off the hook because they were charged under the wrong laws.

The Lae workshop was aimed at making police and social workers aware of the implications and ramifications of the new laws.

Miviri was optimistic that the awareness would help police use the proper laws to successfully prosecute offenders.

 

 

Amnesty wants Papua New Guinea government to act on violence

AMNESTY International (AI) handed over to the Papua New Guinean government a 37,000-signature petition urging an end to violence against women in PNG, The National reports.

AI Australia campaign coordinator Hannah Harborow handed to Community Development Minister Dame Carol Kidu a huge stack of folders containing the signatures calling for urgent government action to address the extremely high rates of violence against women and girls.

Last week marked a historic moment for PNG women when the PNG government was, for the first time, questioned by the United Nations (UN) committee on the elimination of discrimination against women about the high rates of violence against women, and about government efforts to address the issue.

A delegation of women from PNG also visited the United States to speak before the UN on behalf of their countrywomen and demanded an end to violence.

Harborow, who attended the review session in New York, said: “There were encouraging words from the PNG government when it went before the UN. But it is not enough just to acknowledge that gender violence  is an urgent problem.

“The government must prove it is serious about addressing violence against women and girls. It needs to pass laws specifically targeting domestic violence, provide emergency services for women fleeing abuse and lay charges against perpetrators of violence.

“The women of PNG may take some comfort from their government’s statement to the UN that it hopes in the future to fund emergency services and shelters run by non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and churches for women fleeing violence,” Harborow said.

AI said it looked forward to seeing the government fulfill its promise that the UN review session would lead to increased budget for initiatives to rectify the abuse and violence.

The government also pledged that it would use the UN review to raise awareness of violence through the PNG media, including holding a joint media conference with NGOs on the issue.