Asaroka grows its own rice

EDUCATION

By ZACHERY PER
AUSTRALIAN early missionary-educator the late Rev Len Tscharke described Asaroka Lutheran Secondary School near Goroka Eastern Highlands ‘seed time in God’s garden’ in his latest book released in 2017.
Rev Len Tscharke in his final visit to Asaroka in September 2017 launched the book. There was a feature article about the event in the The National on Sept8, 2017 titled Back in God’s Garden.
He wrote in his book Seed Time in God’s Garden: “As we said goodbye to Asaroka at the end of 1971 we placed the school in God’s gracious hands and together we sang God be with us till we meet again.
The current administration of Asaroka Secondary School under the leadership of Principal Aki Olisagave is revisiting the seeds in God’s garden and some 4,000 hectares of fertile farmland late Rev Tscharke from Australia’s Adelaide Golden Grove Lutheran Church had left behind.
According to Olisagave, during the school’s foundation days students from all over PNG’s Lutheran communities flocked into the then Asaroka High School to do forms one to four (grades seven to 10).
“During those days, the vast farmland was fully utilised for food crop cultivation for the school mess to feed students, however successive school administrations after the formative years left the fertile Asaro valley farm land to the mercy of bushes mainly elephant grass,” he said.
Olisagave’s administration is reverting to late Tscharke’s days to cultivate the land with dry land rice seeds with technical support from the Natural Resource Division of Eastern Highlands Provincial Government.
Olisagave said they were determined to use 300 hectares of more than 400 hectares of land the school has to grow rice to feed the students and sell the surplus.
A three hectare trial plot resulted in harvest of two tonnes of rice; the rest of the harvest is stored away as seed to be sown at thee much bigger patches at the bottom farm land within the school’s peripheral boundary.
Olisagave said the school had the potential to be self-sufficient in food production using the land and this would save a lot of money that could be used for infrastructure and other needs.
“However this has never been the case as successive school administrations overlooked the potential and left the land untouched, neglecting the historical record set by the founding father of Asaroka Secondary School.
“Currently under my management, we are using the land to plant rice for self-sufficiency, cutting down costs on food to feed boarding students. We are going in line with the Marape-Steven Government in promoting agriculture by teaching students during agriculture lessons the art of rice cultivation.”
Olisagave added that the school spent K840 per day on rice to feed the students at 12 bags (20 kg.
“Multiplied by K840 each day, we spend K252, 000 in a year.”
He is targeting the school to save over a quarter of a million kina (K250,000) spent in a year on rice alone to feed students by consuming their own rice
Olisagave said neighboring villages are invited to participate in rice extension programs to allow them to benefit by growing rice for own consumptions and sell for money.
“Ikisauka village near the school has ploughed seven hectares of land, farmers are now undergoing training on how to plant rice,” he said.
The principal has plans to present each students that graduates at Asaroka Secondary School with rice seeds that can be planted in their respective village gardens.
“Students are learning both theoretical and practical lessons on rice cultivation during agriculture lessons. The 2,300 students in the school today will be issued rice seeds when they graduate,” he said.
The school has purchased a new tractor for K160,000 last year that is being used to plough the land for rice growing but government help is needed to hire workers, buy more farm machineries, maintain the perimeter fencing and improve irrigation.
“We also need milling and thrashing machines for the rice, we have plans to supply rice to institutions in Goroka including University of Goroka, Goroka Technical College, Highlands Regional School of Nursing, plus other secondary schools and Bihute jail,” Olisagave said.
He also thanked his staff and students for their supportive efforts in the rice project, it is directly in support of Marape-Steven Government policy to develop agriculture sector to achieve sustainable economic development.
“I thank head of department (HOD) Agriculture Gohire Monowai who is instrumental in planting and supervision of the dry land rice,” he said.
The school is planning to stage a grand launching of the rice project today (Sept 4) to be officiated by Prime Minister James Marape, according to the headmaster.