Fresh Produce keeping books in order while others falter

By Malum Nalu
Fresh Produce Development Agency general manager Mark Worinu says the agency has been up-to-date in producing its annual technical and financial statements.
He said that at the release of the 2016 annual report in Goroka on Friday at a time when agriculture agencies and commodity boards – including Coffee Industry Corporation, Cocoa Board and National Agriculture Quarantine Inspection Authority – have been under scrutiny following the recent release of the 2016 Auditor-General’s Report.
The agency report was launched by Agriculture and Livestock Vice-Minister and Goroka MP Henry Ame.
“The report is the most significant part of our work,” Worinu said.
“Our shareholders, Department of Agriculture and Livestock and Treasury, must know what we are doing.
“It’s important as at this time the government is expecting all the agencies to show the trail of expenditure.
“In our own little way, we want to be accountable, we want to be transparent and we want to demonstrate in our own little way that we are committed.
“We have been doing that (annual report) for a good number of years as a formal document to the shareholders. That’s the kind of approach that we have been taking.”
The report is in two parts: Technical and audit.
Worinu said village extension services was the agency’s highlight for 2016 “and delivering remarkable results”.
“These are model farmers that we are establishing in different pockets of the country,” he said
“All in all, we are committing ourselves to supporting the government’s policies in terms of building capacity for our small (common) people, participating meaningfully in developing SMEs and being able to participate in a challenging environment.
“We established 46 village extension workers and 51 model farms all around the country.
“Our mentoring, coaching and technical advisory services have produced 5000 of those people.”