Trukai turns on the switch to start rice mill in Lae

By JUNIOR UKAHA
Trukai Industries Limited has started production on its new rice-hulling machine at its mill in Lae.
The machine, which cost K620,000, was imported from Vietnam earlier this year and set up at the Mataram Street mill.
Vice-Minister for Agriculture and Livestock, Henry Ame and Trukai chairman Mark Robertson cut the ribbon before Ame turned on the switch to start the machine yesterday.
Also present at the event was Minister for Commerce, Trade and Industry Wera Mori, National Agriculture Research Institute director Dr Sergie Bang, Unitech Vice-Chancellor Dr Ora Renagi, Morobe Mining Joint Venture’s David Wisink and Trukai employees.
Trukai chief executive Greg Worthington-Eyre said yesterday’s event was a milestone for Trukai and farmers because it was the first time that locally grown rice was being processed and packaged in the country for sale locally.
“This event marks an important moment in the development of a local rice industry for PNG as it provides the last link in a large scale vertical integration process which gives PNG an end-to-end solution for domestic production of rice,” Worthington-Eyre said.
“It also compliments the 100-day plan of the government which includes the development of local rice production and supports the overall strategy and focus of government in agriculture.”
Worthington-Eyre said the machine can produce up to 40 tonnes of rice a day and about 12,000 tonnes a year.
“The rice we’re going to put through this mill came from you guys (Chingwam farmers),” he said.
“For the first time in history it’s 100 per cent PNG commercial rice grown in the country, milled, packed and sold in PNG so it is really a special day.
“This mill closes the gap in what is a totally integrated value chain for Trukai.
“It means that we now have the commercial capability following our research in the field, our trial, our growing of the rice, the land preparation, the harvesting, transportation, hauling, milling and packaging.”
Ame, who is also Goroka MP, commended Trukai for investing more than K15million in rice research and development in this project.
“I commend Trukai on investing K600,000 in building this brand new hulling mill which will significantly increase the capacity of local rice production and ensures smallholder farmers have access to a convenient market value chain,” Ame said.
“I also congratulate your local business partners, the Chingwam Rice Growers Cooperative, for freeing up their land to allow an investor such as Trukai to grow and produce rice on their customary land.”
Ame said the Government had shifted its focus to agriculture and would support large-scale private sector investment in the sector.