Fresh food producers need all the help

 By SHIRLEY MAULUDU
A FARMER has expressed frustration for failing to get government assistance in the initial stage of his farming business.
Robinson Kale of Kale Fruits and Vegetables Farm in Mt Hagen said farmers like him had struggled a lot in the initial stage of garden produce operation.
He expressed his concern during the two-day horticulture value chain conference in Port Moresby yesterday.
“We farmers can grow food … growing is not a problem.
“The problem is that we don’t have enough funding and the government should help us get this.”
“I’ve been supplying the market food produce for the last 20 years and I badly need the government to fund farmers like me.
Kale said the government should improve the roads so that fruits and vegetables would arrive in Lae from Highland provinces without delay.
He said this would keep the interest among the people to continue farming their land because they would have better means to market their produce.
 “You don’t need to tell the farmers how to farm and produce quality fresh food produce.
“How to bring this to the consumers was the biggest problem,” Kale said.
He said if the government was able to fund the K28 million hydroponic food plant outside Port Moresby, it should also support the fresh produce farmers.