Rice production training to come under DAL next year

By ELIZABETH VUVU
THE National Department of Agriculture and Livestock (DAL) has announced it will be taking over the reigns from JICA in terms of funding and running rice production training courses next year.
Since 2000, JICA has been funding rice training courses with help from DAL for farmers from East Sepik, Morobe and Madang to attend courses at OISCA Rabaul Eco-Tech Training Centre in East New Britain.
Project manager and director of Food Security branch under DAL Brown Konabe revealed this last fortnight during the graduation of the 14th batch of farmers in rice production training at OISCA.
He said it was about time DAL took the initiative to run and fund its agricultural programmes in the country, and next year was a good time to begin.
Mr Konabe said JICA would only monitor and watch closely but would not involve itself in major activities.
He said rice training courses would be conducted in each respective province to save costs in having to fly over farmers to OISCA Rabaul.
Since 2000, a lot of participants mainly farmers, about 300 of them, have contributed to rice development in their respective provinces.
And DAL, under its food security concept, is fully supporting rice as becoming the country’s staple food and has realised that there is a great need to grow rice.
Mr Konabe thanked JICA for their funding and assistance since 2000 and OISCA Rabaul for the use of its facilities.
A JICA representative and project officer Davies Kia confirmed that the group was the final group in the smallholder rice production training course under the DAL-JICA programme.
He said JICA’s emphasis had been in the area of small-scale rice production for self consumption and small markets.