‘Grain crops can sustain lives in times of emergencies’

GRAIN crops such as rice and wheat have huge potential to sustain people’s livelihood during drought and natural disasters.
Director of Highlands regional Department of Agriculture and Livestock (DAL) Mawe Gonapa raised this at the closure of a one-week farm machinery operators and managers training in Goroka last Friday.
“Rice and wheat can sustain PNG through drought and natural disasters, we appreciate the valuable skills and knowledge you acquire during the training,” Mr Gonapa told 18 participants from the Highlands region.
He thanked senior Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) volunteer Noboru Iwano who provided the training on how to fix farm machineries particularly rice milling machines.
He said PNG was heavily dependent on what was coming from outside and never consider the mechanics of such things like fixing farm machineries such as rice mills.
“DAL has a food security policy on self-sufficiency where rice has been identified as a crop to be promoted to achieve food security visions and goals,” Mr Gonapa said.
Likewise, adviser of Eastern Highlands provincial DAL Bubia Muhuju said agriculture extension programmes should be promoted.