Author

Allan Terry

Browsing
News

Reviving Cocoa Dreams

By

For the many farmers of Wanwara Village of Turubu LLG in the East Sepik Province, Cocoa has been their main commodity.

However, the road to success for them has been troubled with challenges, particularly from the Cocoa Pod Borers (CPB).

Thanks to the assistance from the European Union Support to Rural Entrepreneurship and Trade Papua New Guinea (EU-STREIT PNG) programme has empowered these farmers to revive and reclaim their Cocoa farms and improve their livelihoods.

Cocoa plantation

Mr. Baltazar Winjowa, a 33 year-old farmer from Wanwara Village, when sharing a trajectory hope of transformation says that he has seen his cocoa production journey evolve from struggle to success, not just for him but for his entire Community.

“I have been involved in Cocoa for over eight years now,” he explains.

Baltazar grew up helping his father, the chairman of the Juar Cocoa Cooperative Society which represents five Villages; Wanwara, Yamben, Jimeru, Mambe and Putanda.

“We had problems like Cocoa Pod Borers (CPB) affecting our cocoa for years.

“Many farmers had abondoned their blocks.” Says Baltazar.

Solar Cocoa Combination Type Dryer

The CPB affects 80% of the Cocoa trees and the remaining 20% was not enough.

The EU-STREIT programme reached Baltazar’z Community in 2021 providing essential resources including poly bags, shed cloths, CPB – tolerant Cocoa seedlings, wheel barrows, block management tools and gumboots.

The farmers also recieved a solar combination dryer to transform the quality of their Cocoa.

Baltazar was pleased with the initiative saying that the biggest support was the solar combination dryer helping them to produce quality dried beans.

“I want to thank EU – STREIT for the combination dryer.”

Along side the materials, the EU-STREIT PNG programme also provided the necessary critical training for the farmers including bud grafting training, proper pruning techniques aswell as the study of Cocoa fermentation and processing

Keep Reading
By
News

Paving the Future

By

The Yawasoro-Niewanjie road in Wewak, East Sepik Province has seen a facelift after years of negligence.

Thanks to the EU- STREIT PNG programme’s effort through the International Labor Organizations (ILO), this ten to thirteen kilometer stretch of rehabilitated road has brought hopes and opportunity to the people living along that area.

In the Niewanjie rural community, life before the road reconstruction used to be tough.
The villagers were struggling to access basic services like schools, market and healthcare due to poor, almost impossible road located within a water logged area.

Farmers like Judith Auta, who owns five cocoa blocks had to neglect her cocoa blocks.
They could barely transport their produce to the market because of the bad road condition.
Judith, who is also a mother endured long, laborious journey just to reach basic services.

“We used to wake up very early at 4 or 5am in the morning just to walk the bush tracks to the main road,” she recalls.

“It was also hard for our children especially the girls, walking through the bush everyday to get to school. It was not safe.”

The refurbishment of the road will now improve the life of over 2,200 residents who once faced these hardships.

Niewanjie

The road in its new, durable shape was built to withstand the area’s unfavorable conditions, allowing access to services all year around.

For farmers like Judith, the new road has transformed her livelihood.

“Now that trucks can reach us, I am taking care of my Cocoa blocks again. The price of Cocoa is good and the last time I sold some wet beans for K400 right here at the end of the road,” she says.

25 year-old Maya Samalai, a young man from Niewanjie village also shared the same sentiment saying that with the road, he has been able to sell 80 Kilograms of Cocoa beans to save up for his Grade 12 studies.

“This road gives us hope. It’s helping us to live a better life,” Maya says.

This road project is also said to have created about 12, 000 days of paid work during its construction phase, creating job opportunity and injecting financial input into the local community.

Keep Reading
By
News

Vandalism of Light Poles in NCD

By
Vandalized Light pole

Vandalism of light poles along the freeway is becoming a very serious problem in the National Capital District.

Some concerned city residents are calling on the perpetrators to refrain from damaging light poles for extraction of copper wires because light poles provide safety to the traveling public especially during the night.

The Governor for National Capital District, Powes Parkop, when speaking to Inside PNG, expressed his disappointment stating that this type of behavior is very unacceptable and irresponsible.

Vandalized light pole along the Morata road in Port Moresby, NCD.
Vandalized light pole along the Morata road in Port Moresby, NCD.

He further added that lighting up the freeways and streets of Port Moresby is a very expensive exercise because the value of one twin arm light pole costs more than fifteen thousand Kina (K15,000).

“These kind of people have no regard for public security or public safety. These lights are very essential for safety and security in the city and they also assist motorists, and those who are behind it should hang their heads in shame.”

Governor Parkop further added the people who are buying scrap metal from these perpetrators should also be ashamed of themselves and put a stop to it because they are the ones engineering this particular criminal activity.

Kingsley Domofi, a community leader in Morata Surburb also shared the same sentiments, saying many people have become victims of street muggings and petty crimes in the darkness because there are no street lights to brighten up their surroundings.

“I want to warn those copper wire thieves who are carrying out this illegal activity to put a stop to whatever that they are doing,” he says.

All the Street Lights and light poles along the freeways come under the management of The National Capital District Commission (NCDC).

Keep Reading
By
Pin It