Buying of goods on credit irks WHP farmers

 By PETER ESOP WARI

WESTERN Highlands farmers who supply fresh food to the PNG LNG project are complaining that most of their produce is purchased on credit by contractors engaged by local catering companies.

Mathew Kerowa, an employee of the Mt Hagen Market, said catering companies which engaged contractors to supply fresh food produce must engage them permanently as many temporary suppliers have never repaid their debts and had gone into hiding.

He said agreements had been reached in previous years with local catering companies to create sustainable businesses like agricultural cooperatives to supply fruit and vegetables.

“In a day, 15-20 complaints are received from the women farmers and contractors must bear in mind that the PNG LNG project needs these poor local mothers to feed thousands of workers engaged at the project site,” he said.

Local farmer Joyce Tigi from the Paugka tribe in Jika said they spent money on fertilisers, transport, labour and contractors buying their produce on credit basis and not repaying was like daylight robbery.

“We waste extra money to follow the debtors around and lodging complaints in police stations. This should not be the case,” she said.

Another farmer Serah John from the Wagnam tribe in the Mul-Baiyer district said through their hard work and thousands of project workers were being fed but they were being fooled by these contractors engaged by catering companies.

She said the women farmers had agreed to stop catering companies and contractors from buying their produce on credit.