Firm to sell de-husked betel nuts

 By TONY PALME KIP

A SOLUTION seems to be shaping up to resolve the betel nut issue between the growers and suppliers  and the National Capital District over the ban of nuts in Port Moresby.

Buyers in the city will trade with a licence but the betel nut law will remain.

Through the service agreement signed last Friday between NCD and Askopina Ltd based in Port Moresby, the company has been granted the rights to buy betel nuts in bulk at a competitive price from growers in Central and Gulf and sell them without husks to licensed traders (vendors) in the city.

Askopina Ltd will have a factory where around 3000 cottages will be built to sell the “skinned” nuts packaged into vacuum plastic bags.

Buyers or betel nut vendors must obtain a permit or licence from Askopina Ltd and buy from the cottages and sell to consumers.

“Only the company will take betel nuts into the city,” NCD Governor Powes Parkop said.

“If you don’t have a licence and sell with skin (husks), you will be fined. We will prosecute those who spit unnecessarily as our law still stands.” 

Deputy city manager and betel nut controller Honk Kiap said the significance of the service agreement signing was the way forward as it was the answer to people’s request to NCDC to find an alternative solution to deal with the betel nut ban.

“Our vendors will be given the economic and financial freedom and literacy to earn a decent living by  selling betel nut in a proper and regulated way,” Kiap said.

Askopina Ltd managing director Troy Tetley said the company shared the same vision with NCDC and it aimed to work with the grassroots by alleviating poverty and keeping the city clean. 

Tetley said licences would be issued to vendors by Oct 1 to buy the de-husked betel nuts from their cottages.

He said an announcement would be made soon in the media regarding the location of the factory.