ENB introduces integrated farming to boost food production

INTERGRATED farming is a concept being introduced in East New Britain (ENB) as a way forward in maximising food production in the province.
The aim is to improve food security.
A training was conducted last week at Ramale ward in the Kokopo-Vunamami urban local level government (KVULLG) of Kokopo.
Other wards within KVULLG that participated in the training included Vunamami one, Gunanba, Livuan, Bitagalip and Bitarebarebe.
The training, which looked at introducing intercropping starting with fresh vegetables to cash cropping including rice, coconut and copra, connected stakeholders in the Kokonas Indastri Koporesen (KIK) and the Cocoa Board of PNG.
Intercropping farming has already seen significant progress at the Ramale ward nursery which has seen a variety of vegetables grown for the replanting programme and is currently being undertaken by the KIK with support of the Kokopo administration.
Ramale ward member and deputy Kokopo city mayor Joe Warapik said the training on integrated farming was a way forward that would build the capacity of its respective farmers to venture into crop farming.
“This will ease the burden of food security which will greatly assist our farmers at home to produce enough variety of fresh vegetables for consumption and even increase the production of food security in future,” he said. Warapik said Ramale ward was selected by the KIK to pilot the coconut the replanting programme initiated and supported by the Kokopo administration in collaboration with the support from MP Emil Tammur.