By FRANK RAI
FARMERS and local villagers in the Tewae/Siassi district of Morobe province will now benefit from a smallholder support services pilot project (SSSP), a scheme that is expected to rebuild the capacity of the rural agricultural sector.
SSSP was revived by the Tewae-Siassi joint district planning and budget priority committee (JDP&BPC) last week when passing this year’s K10 million budget break down to primarily foster economic growth in the rural villages.
It was understood that SSSP was proposed and developed between 2000 and 2007 under an Asian Development Bank funded project to design and operate a reformed environment in the rural agriculture sector with the Department of Agriculture and Livestock.
“This project is designed to operate under the reform environment and that is to see that services are devolved down to the districts and LLGs,” the JDP&BPC budget break up report said.
The report said the SSSP would also see that agricultural projects were centrally coordinated so that data and funding accountability were improved.
It stated that capacity building and project management were also main components in the SSSP, where technical and financial assistance were needed to boost the components.
While commenting on the SSSP, MP Vincent Michaels told the meeting that more of the funding, including the K5.2 million electoral funds for the 2002/2007 fiscal years would also be directed to the rural agriculture sector in the electorate.
“The Tewae-Siassi electorate had been in the dark for the last 10 years and with these projects, we want to improve the lives of the people and restore the infrastructure in the district,” Mr Michaels said.
He said local villagers would start involving themselves in agriculture when transport infrastructure in the district were restored in the three LLG areas respectively.
“Once the roads, jetties and airstrips are ready, the rural agricultural sector should be up and running. And this is the time when our local villagers will have ways to market their produce to sustain their livelihood,” Mr Michaels said.
The SSSP will also be used to deliver services in other areas including education, health and social development.