Farmers in Finschhafen receive certificate in farm management

FARMERS in Kotte rural local level government, Finschhafen, in Morobe, were awarded certificates in farm management during the launch of an industry standard rice mill at the LLG’s headquarters in Sattleberg last week.
The 56 farmers underwent farming training focusing on practical farm management skills and husbandry, including farm business management where aspects such as budgeting and basic financial management were taught and drawn from the ‘farm management handbook’.
The training programme is a collaboration between the Department of Agriculture and Livestock (DAL) regional centre at Erap and the ROC Taiwan technical mission based at Bubia lowlands experimental station at 10-Mile in Lae.
Through DAL’s collaboration with the farmers training cooperation project, the Taiwan Technical Mission supported the rice mill launch with 420kg of rice seeds (100 4.2kg packets Taichung Sen 10 (TCS10) and 200 sickles during the launch.
Regional crops adviser Theresa Saki conducted two training sessions for Finschhafen farmers with one training for the 86 Yabem farmers in 2018 at Ngacsigalatu village while training for Kotte farmers was conducted at the Evangelical Lutheran church of PNG Heldsbach Centre in 2019.
Saki said farmers were given vegetable and rice seeds during the training.
“The Kote farmers appeared as the most intensive farming community,” she said.
“They reported back on the practical application of their training and also on the actual production levels.
“A notable feature of the Kotte farmers’ production activity is their businesslike approach, where they had organised the incorporation of a business entity called the Somate Fresh Produce Suppliers and Distributers.
“Somate stands for Song-Mape-Tewae Siassi. Song is a river in Kotte.”
Saki said Somate had also featured strongly in the liaison and coordination of farmers training arrangements and also in the arrangement of the rice mill and the Kotte LLG also stood out as a local government agency greatly facilitating farmers training as well as the setting up of the rice mill.