Agency working on meeting fresh food demand

By PISAI GUMAR
FRESH Produce Development Agency (FPDA) Mamose branch and its aggregators are busy to ensure demand for fresh foods during the state of emergency period is maintained after the closure of Lae’s main market.
The FPDA’s Mamose branch manager Barnabas Wahawe engaged their aggregator Wayne Gorowe and driver Luke Paina to buy fresh produce from farmers to supply supermarkets.
The Covid-19 lockdown has limited the movement of people in Lae, as well as places they can get fresh food.
Many mini-suburbs and settlement markets that buy from Lae main market and resell, have stopped operating because of the SOE.
Wahawe said supermarkets had run out of fresh food over last two weeks of the lockdown even though the city had been supplied by farmers in Situm and Wampar.
“Consumer demand keeps increasing as the SOE continues and we’re working tirelessly to ensure there is ample supply for supermarkets and city residents,” he said.
“Some city residents with vehicles have the luxury to travel either to Situm, along the Bulolo and Markham highway, in search of mini roadside markets to buy fresh foods and vegetables.
“But most citizens rely heavily on PMVs (public motor vehicles) and were hard hit instead, resorting to vegetables from supermarkets but the demand keeps increasing each day.”
Wahawe said the fresh food supplied to supermarkets was safe for consumption as per FPDA’s farm hygiene protocols utilised by farmers.
“Due to critical Covid-19 situation, FPDA is mindful what it supplies to supermarkets using FPDA’s farm hygiene practices and methods used to cultivate and for safe harvesting.”