Farmers benefit from banking service

FARMING

By NIKINTS TIPTIP
LILIAN Martin, in her early 30s, is an illiterate farmer from Gabsokeg Village outside Nadzab Aiport in the Huon Gulf District of Morobe.
Originally from the remote mountainous Menyamya district, Lilian and a number of her clansmen and women have been living in Gabsokeg for most of their lives and farming for a living.
Markham Valley offers an ideal farmland for anyone who wishes to do farming at any level and Lilian and her relatives have been captively in love with the valley since.
However, besides doing traditional farming like everyone else, life has been routine until very recently when new farming skills and training were introduced to them by the Fresh Produce Development Agency (FPDA) under its Village Extension Workers (VEW) program.
Lilian and her relatives work for a farm managed by Ottob Ferea and his wife and sell their produce at the Nadzab Market and Lae Market when they have surplus harvest.
After imparting very important and modern farming skills and training to model farmers, FPDA has not only transfers knowledge but also secures markets for the produce so the farmer is not wasting their crop due to lack of demands.
FPDA through its Value Chain Innovative Program has secured markets such as NKW Fresh and major supermarkets such in Papindo, SVS and others for farmers to supply directly.
Quality and consistency are key elements a farmer needs to learn to keep its business afloat. Major players in the supply chain are very critical of quality and consistency which FPDA emphasises on farmers to observe in order to survive in the farming business.
Most rural farmers are not familiar with supplying consistently and maintaining quality of their produce until FPDA introduced those skills to rural farmers like Lilian.
In the beginning of November 2019, Lilian among 32 other men and women was introduced to an all-new technology she and others have never dreamt of.
FPDA has liaised with BSP’s Branchless Banking in Lae to introduce rural banking especially for its contact farmers.
While the current government is focusing on promoting Agriculture as the country’s economic liberator, the people who are at the forefront need to be equipped first.
FPDA as a government agency is implementing that policy to ensure farmers have bank accounts to manage their lives and be part of the change.
For Gabsokeg Village, 33 farmers including Lilian were privileged to receive their bank cards on Wednesday 30th of October 2019 after BSP Branchless Banking officers took the whole day out to facilitate that event. On the previous two days 42 farmers from Nasuapum Village along the Nadzab – Lae highway received their bank cards.
Over 90 per cent of these villagers never had a bank account in their entire lives and to receive a new pin number, bank account and a bank card was a dream come true for these recipients.
FPDA through its financial literacy program has registered 320 contact farmers in Morobe to have access to bank accounts so their hard-earned cash can be banked away and spent only when needed.
BSP Lae’s Branchless Sales Officer Nepthalai Aukiri said the bank was pleased to partner with FPDA to deliver that service to the farmers.
“We follow Central Bank’s requirements to have ID cards and confirmation letters from our customers and FPDA has assisted farmers with all that so we are pleased to partner with FPDA to provide that service,” he said.
He said farmers were allowed to deposit a minimum of K10 to open their account and urged them to keep their pin numbers and Kundu cards safely.
Mr Aukiri said although there were further interests shown by churches, associations and students to open accounts, they were only focusing on farmers as arranged by FPDA adding they would assist those people at another time.
He said farmers would receive free financial literacy training as a complimentary from BSP under the FPDA partnership to grow their money.
Other banking services would be provided to the farmers as part of the training free of charge, he said.
FPDA acting Program Manager for Value Chain Chris Suya said the 320 contact farmers come from four model farms in Huon Gulf, Markham and Lae districts who should all receive their bank cards before the end of the year.
He thanked BSP Lae Branch for accepting to partner with FPDA to assist their farmers manage their funds through the formal banking systems.
“The greatest achievement for FPDA is seeing smiling faces of farmers as they receive their bank cards in the comfort of their villages instead of queuing up in a bank which they may not stand a chance having to go through all the formalities,” he said.
As a government agent in Agriculture innovation and zero hunger for all, FPDA has taken the initiative to help farmers to not only become food secure but also sell their produce to earn extra income, he said.
Bill James, a farmer from Nasuapum who has outgrown from the Nasuapum Model Farm could not believe simple farmers now have access to bank accounts.
He grows lettuce, pakchoi and now wanting to trial Pathogen Tested (PT) Kaukau and Bulb Onion like other farmers said he was happy to see smiles on the mothers’ faces.
“Most of these mothers cannot believe they can now bank their money. They supply to NKQ Fresh who does not deal with cash. Now that they have their accounts, their funds can be directly credited to their accounts,” he said.
He said mothers are now excited about having their own accounts and want to work extra hard so they can earn more to bank their income. It was not safe for mothers to keep their income in their house and the enticement to spend unnecessarily was quite high.
FPDA has branches in Mt Hagen, Banz, Kundiawa, Goroka (HQ), Lae, Rabaul and Port Moresby representing all the four regions of PNG.

lThe writer is the communications officer at FPDA.