Kutubu women for rice

By SENIORL ANZU of NARI in Moro

Community initiative has paid off for Foe women in the Kutubu area of Southern Highlands. Through sheer interest and determination for rice production, the Kutubu Foe Women’s Association has been fortunate in acquiring two rice milling machines that will be launched tomorrow at the Pimaga government station.

This is a result of the association’s initiative in taking up modern agriculture for food and income on a sustainable basis.

Among others, the group is pursuing rice to supplement daily diets and as well supply surplus to possible market opportunities created by the boom in oil and gas developments in the Kutubu area.

Led by women leader Naomi Samuel, rural women have already mastered the basic techniques of rice production.

Interested rice farmers from the Faso area have also picked up rice farming, spreading the interest to the entire Kutubu region and even the Moran area.

The National Agricultural Research Institute (NARI) and PNG Women in Agriculture Development Foundation (PNGWiADF), both based in Lae, have been in the Kutubu area since 2009, providing technical assistance.

This initiative has been supported by Kutubu’s community development initiative and Oil Search Ltd.

NARI’s senior scientist Dr Peter Gendua and PNGWiADF president, Maria Linibi have been on site this week providing hands-on training and technical advice to about 100 interested rice farmers across Pimaga, Orokana, Waro, Tiriabo, Tugiri, Soro and Inu villages.

NARI has so far provided two upland rice varieties (NARI Rice One or NR 1 and NR 15) suitable for the environment with two rounds of training on land preparation, seed sowing, transplanting, field management, harvesting, threshing and milling to major villages in Kutubu.

Pictured are women at Pimaga having hands-on training in seed sowing of a NARI released rice variety, NR 1, on Monday

However, a major hurdle faced by farmers was proper milling of their farm harvests.

Many expressed the need to have rice milling machines.

Members of the Kutubu Foe Women’s Association have harvested tonnes of rice but milling has also been a constraint.

After knocking on doors of various organisations, Oil Search Limited and the Department of Agriculture and Livestock have come good in providing a rice milling machine each for the association.

The support has come along due to the association’s own desire and determination to pursue agriculture for development, particularly in rice cultivation.

 During tomorrow’s launch, the two rice milling machines will be officially handed over to the Kutubu Foe Women’s Association.

The operations of the machines will also be demonstrated to the farmers and those with harvests will have the opportunity to mill their produce.

 The initiative has demonstrated public-private partnership of all stakeholders in community development.

Modern agriculture introduced in Kikori

By SENIORL ANZU of NARI

Villagers along the Kikori delta in the Gulf province can now practice modern agriculture for food security and income, thanks to Oil Search Limited and the PNG Women in Agriculture Development Foundation (PNGWiADF).

The sole dependence on sago and fish for survival by the Kikori River people will be a thing of the past as they take up new skills and innovations in vegetable production.

They can now farm round cabbage, broccoli, Chinese cabbage, carrot, spring onion, lettuce, pakchoi, watermelon and tomato.

With support from Oil Search’s community affairs division based in the Gobe oil fields, model farmer and agricultural trainer, Maria Linibi of PNGWiADF, has provided training for 26 villagers since last month.

The participants are from seven villages – Kaiam, Banana camp, Irimuku, Babeio, Veiru, Kekea and Ero – along the Kikori River.

From left are Tommy Polang of Oil Search, PNGWiADF president Maria Linibi, community representative John Ipai and an Oil Search official displaying seedlings of tropical vegetables at Irimuku village in the Kikori delta, Gulf province.-Pictures by SENIORL ANZU

 In July, the participants acquired skills in nursery preparation of different tropical vegetables and last week, Linibi taught them again on how to prepare land and transplant seedlings.

 The training was conducted at Irimuku village with a demonstration farm established at the run-down Kitomape SDA school grounds.

The initiative was undertaken as part of agriculture development under Oil Search’s sustainable development programme in communities along affected areas of the oil development project in the Southern Highlands and Gulf provinces.

The vigorous performances of the crops were an eye opener for the participants as they could not believe their soil could produce temperate highlands vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage, carrot and others.

During the training, Linibi introduced crops to the villagers, emphasised crops’ nutritional and monetary values, and demonstrated farming skills through a participatory approach which many appreciated.

Tommy Polang, Oil Search’s community development officer who was responsible for organising the training, told the aspiring vegetable farmers to take full advantage of the opportunity and utilise what they had learnt from the training in their own villages.

“You can cultivate vegetables and other food crops on your land, just like any PNG farmer,” Polang told participants.

He challenged them to take full responsibility in taking ownership and ensuring self-sustainability after the pilot phase.

He added that with the new developments in oil and gas projects, they would be faced with opportunities in spin-off benefits.

This is especially in terms of finding markets for their produce - which they should capture to support their livelihoods.

Polang called on the participants to be role models and pass on the skills to others in their respective villages, and most importantly, to work in groups and help one another.

 Linibi said the exercise was just a start in a small way but they could apply the principles in bigger ways, given their capacities.

Kikori villagers have hands-on training in transplanting broccoli seedlings with trainer and PNGWiADF president Maria Linibi (centre) at Kitomape near Kikori station in the Gulf province

 She advised that they should initiate and start something for themselves before calling for assistance.

She also urged the participants to work in groups and form cooperatives and capture opportunities outside of the project areas.

Many of the participants showed appreciation and expressed that the training would change their livelihoods.

Dorothy Foroua, a woman leader from Irimuku, said their food resources were fish, sago and leaves from the bush but with the training gave them new alternatives.

Oil Search provided vegetable seeds and tools.

The vegetable training has three components, two of which (nursery and transplanting), have been successfully completed.

 The third phase is post-harvest which is expected to be done in November when the vegetables are ready for harvest.

During the first phase, Linibi demonstrated a technology on plant-derived pesticides which farmers can develop and use from locally available resources such as neem tree, derris (posin diwai) and chili.

In the second phase, she supplied seeds of upland rice varieties, corn and mung beans provided by NARI and seeds of neem tree for formulating home-made pesticides.

Other initiatives under Oil Search Gobe’s sustainability programme include rehabilitation of old coffee blocks and establishment of coffee nursery with some 6,000 seedlings in Erave, Southern Highlands, with the involvement of Coffee Industry Corporation.

Aitape farmers support cocoa development, not oil palm

By SOLDIER BURUKA of DAL

Landowners in the Sandaun province have called on the government to conduct regular monitoring of major agro-forestry projects.

They say that relevant government agencies including Department of Agriculture and Livestock, PNG Forest Authority and the respective provincial administration should take the lead in the monitoring programme.

The issue was raised recently during a review meeting of the agro-forestry oil palm project in the Pai resource area in Aitape district.

The meeting was attended by landowner representatives, DAL, PNGFA, developer and the district administration.

Landowners give their views during the review meeting in Aitape town

Aitape-Lumi district administrator Timothy Teklan chaired the meeting.

The meeting at Aitape concluded with a recommendation for the oil palm project to be scrapped in favour of cocoa and other potential crops including rubber.

The meeting also agreed to set up a review and monitoring committee comprising of various government agencies in Sandaun and Aitape district administration to coordinate the monitoring exercise.

 The meeting recommended that the developer produce and submit a land use development plan for integrated agriculture development project which would encompass cocoa, rubber and other suitable crops.

The review meeting had been organised to discuss the past activities of the agro-forestry project focusing on oil palm development and to discuss the way forward.

There is a need to assess if the cocoa or oil palm is economical and financially viable, and has high/low environmental implications.

Most people were familiar with cocoa and know that capital input was much less than oil palm.

The review was also to assess the commitment and capacity of the developer on the changes of land use.

DAL deputy secretary for technical services Francis Daink attended the meeting and took note of the concerns raised by the landowners and the recommendations made.

Daink emphasised the need for establishment of the monitoring committee to be coordinated and chaired by the district administration.

Daink stressed that in such projects the district administration, especially the programme manager, played an important role in monitoring and reporting.

National DAL will rely on district programme managers to provide reports as and when required.

He said the government had scarce resources to provide services and needs to bring in investors from abroad that have technical skills and capital to partner with and assist the government to bring development.

Cocoa is also a priority crop which falls in well with the provincial plan to give recognition to West Sepik province as a major cocoa-growing region.

Chairman of landowner company Mete Holdings Ltd, Samson Kupu said the other factor that would really affect oil palm development was the location of the project area - situated in the head waters - which would definitely pollute all the big and small rivers where most people had accessibility for their daily needs.

He said that after his visit to NBPOL oil palm operations in West New Britain province and discussions with PNG Oil Palm Research Association, he had found out that there were some serious issues which would really affect the development of oil palm in Aitape.

These issues included lack of adequate technical expertise; most skilled personnel may be joining the PNG LNG project which offers attractive pay and conditions; availability of state land for development; suitable port facilities and market availability.

Aitape Oil Palm Ltd project consultant, Dr Felix Moh, said the developer company needed the support of all stakeholders including government, landowners and the general public to conduct its operations in the agro-forestry development.

Daink (centre) accompanied by Teklan (third from right) Dr Moh (third from left) Kupu (far right) and other officials inspect the oil palm nursery. Landowners are now seeking to plant cocoa instead of oil palm

The developer supported the desires of the government and the landowners to benefit from any agro-forestry project.

He said the developer would consider any outcomes from the meeting before making a final decision.

Many speakers at the meeting said they were now unsure of the oil palm project and would be willing to switch to cocoa and rubber.

Some said their land was unsuitable for oil palm but good for cocoa and other crops.

Others said cocoa had been grown for many years in Aitape and the people did not need further training.

In addition, cocoa prices were more attractive and most farmers were now venturing into cocoa production.

First seeds sown in Kikori

Story and pictures by SENIORL ANZU

Villagers along the Kikori delta in the Gulf province can now practice modern agriculture for food security and income, thanks to Oil Search Limited and the PNG Women in Agriculture Development Foundation (PNGWiADF).

The sole dependence on sago and fish for survival by the Kikori River people will be a thing of the past as they take up new skills and innovations in vegetable production.

 They can now farm round cabbage, broccoli, Chinese cabbage, carrots, spring onion, lettuce, pak choi, watermelon and tomato.

Aspiring farmers like Dorothy Foroua (right) and young lasses from Kikori River are pictured happily preparing to transplant their first broccoli seedlings at Irimuka village near Kikori last week.

President of PNGWiADF Maria Linibi trained 26 villagers last week to practice modern agriculture through Oil Search’s sustainable development programme.

 

 

Paddling on sago

Story and picture by SENIORL ANZU

Gulf province has the famous slogan “yu yet kam na lukim” (come and see it for yourself). Among many things one can see for himself or herself is the way in which sago trunks are transported home from where they are harvested.

Sago is the major staple food for Gulf people and much of the sago grows in the wild along the Kikori delta.

Locals say in some villages, sago trunks are harvested and transported through the Kikori River and its tributaries to coastal homes by tying the trunks onto the canoe and pulling along as the canoe is paddled home.

 

Pictured here is Gulf man Douglas Nuga from Ero Island, Kikori, doing the opposite.

 

Instead of paddling the canoe with sago trunk behind, Nuga paddled on two huge sago trunks with his canoe pulled behind into Orokoi tributary for Ero after leaving the Kikori River few kilometers away.

 

Rich new database on agriculture in Papua New Guinea

By MALUM NALU

A most up-to-date Papua New Guinea agriculture literature database is now available on compact disc for farmers, academics and the general public in the country.

It will be a handy companion to Food and Agriculture in Papua New Guinea, the most up-to-date and most-informative publication ever done on the subject in the country, which was launched in Port Moresby recently by former deputy prime minister Sir Puka Temu.

The database was compiled by Land Management Group of Australian National University, the same group which put together the book.

Dr Michael Bourke of the ANU, who put together the CD and book, said it would be a most-welcome addition to PNG agriculture.

“What we’ve done is we’ve put in the CD is about 17,000 references to agriculture in Papua New Guinea,” he said.

“You can search for a reference with a keyword, or a word in the title, or an author.

“So, for example, if you type in ‘woman’, you’ll come up with about 800 papers.

“If you type ‘woman’ and ‘Bougainville’, you might come up with 20 papers.”

The good news for PNG is that the CD is being distributed freely throughout the country and a copy can be obtained by sending an email to Sue Rider at sue.rider@anu.edu.au.

“It needs some software to run, and the software is called Endnote,” Dr Bourke adds.

“It’s very powerful.”

5,000 Indonesians for LNG site

UP to 5,000 technical workers from Indonesia are expected to come to PNG to be employed in the construction phase of the multi-billion-kina PNG liquefied natural gas (LNG) project, The National reports.

Indonesian embassy’s charge de affairs Budimansyah said an Indonesian company had won a sub-contract in the construction phase of the LNG project, and they would be bringing in these workers to do the job.

It is understood the Indonesian company won a sub-contract for work at portion 152 outside Port Moresby, but the official did not say exactly what the nature of the work would be.

But he said the 5,000 would be highly skilled technical workers.

The company is believed to be owned by the Indonesian government.

A PNG government spokesman, when asked to comment on this, said some aspects of work at portion 152 were highly technical, and the Indonesian workers brought

in had the experience in this field.

The government had also spoken in the past about plans to bring in 7,000 workers from Fiji to work in the LNG project, but it was unclear if this had been advanced.

“The multi-billion-kina gas project has also attracted Indonesian companies who are seeking joint ventures with PNG companies to build cement factories in Lae and Port Moresby,” Budimansyah said.

He said the relationship between the two countries that share a common land border, had reached new heights since the visit by Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono early this year.

He said businessmen from Indonesia travelling with the president had sought opportunities in PNG, and did feasibility studies on joint venture projects.

He said 10 young businessmen had returned to PNG and were travelling to Lae to hold talks with the Papindo Group of Companies for a possible joint venture in building a cement factory.

“The demand for building houses is very high with the current LNG project.

“These businessmen are looking at feasibilities and possible joint venture with PNG companies to build cement factories.”

Budimansyah said if the condition was conducive, they would build cement factories in Lae and Port Moresby.

He said the increased opportunities and good investment climate in PNG was attracting a lot of Indonesian companies.