Farm cannot meet city demand

 By HUXLEY LOVAI

THE Innovative Agro Industry Limited’s 9-Mile Farm is operating at full capacity but still cannot meet the demand of residents and businesses in Port Moresby, an official says.

Ilan Weiss, the chairman and director of the company, said the current import ban on certain vegetables such as onions and carrots had little effect on the company because they did not grow them at their farm. 

Weiss said there was a high demand for their produce before the ban and after.

“The market in PNG in general, and in Port Moresby particularly, is gravely under-served,” he said.

“It is mostly served by imports, with exceptionally high prices.

“There is no impediment to growing fresh crops in PNG. 

“There’s land, water, sunshine, rain and farmers.”

The 9-Mile Farm employs people from surrounding settlements as labourers. 

There are currently 120 workers – 80 per cent of whom are women.  

The current capacity of the farm is 12 tonnes of vegetables per week. 

Upgrades made to the facilities will increase output to 15 tonnes per week.

The farm grows vegetables like tomatoes and capsicums in greenhouses with an irrigation system and the use of fans to keep the temperature constant.    

On the current import ban on vegetables, Wises said he understood what the Government was trying to do by creating a market for local farmers. 

“The Papua New Guinea farmer is getting the short end of the stick,” he said. 

“It is very hard for them to access commercial finance and the marketplace.”