Farmers to share sales from onion

ABOUT 200 farmers in Chimbu are expected share more than K18,700 from their selling bulb onions to a firm in Eastern Highlands on Tuesday, according to community-based organisation Individual Reform and Restoration Movement (IRRM).
IRRM is based at Womkama village in Gembogl district and was formed in 2005 to improve living conditions in the local community using available natural resources, like land for agriculture activities.
IRRM programme coordinator Toppy Sundu said the farmers sold 6.25 tonnes of bulb onions to NKW, a catering company in Kainantu.
Sundu said the farmers would get a net income of K16,300 in the coming weeks – that is K18,762, less the transportation cost of K2400.
“Womkama farmers have once again broken the sales record of local bulb onion in Chimbu and PNG by selling 6.25 tonnes of onions to NKW this week Tuesday,” Sandu said.
“This time it was the biggest quantity ever which entered NKW depot as indicated by the NKW quality check and weight recording personnel at the depot.
“The same tonnage of bulb onions was shipped to Alotau Enterprise and sold, however, the amount earned was not as much as this (K18,762) as IRRM had to pay a middleman.
“IRRM wishes to thank Fresh Produce Development Agency and Oxfam PNG for assisting to have access to this market (NKW).”.
Sundu said the high cost of transportation and the risks involved in travelling long distances to markets were some of the challenges faced during the sale process.
“Having experienced these challenges, IRRM is planning to visit the NKW sales and marketing manager to have close dialogue over these challenges and find some way forward with a formal agreement,” he said.