Grower sees huge potential in veggie

By SERAH LAGDOM
A local woman who sells vegetable for a living sees potential in cultivating a new crop.
Martha Samuel, a vegetable vendor who resides at 9-Mile outside Port Moresby said she has been cultivating and selling vegetables that were native to PNG for five years but decide to cultivate a new crop.
She said the benefits of cultivating patola was good as she makes a lot of money and believe that patola has the potential to bloom in local markets and is likely be a cash crop among most farmers.
She said cultivating patola did not involve much labour as other vegetables and it also has been on demand recently in the local markets.
Most Asian were familiar with patola and buys most of her produce.
“Asians and Indians like patola and they buy a lot of it, so I believe that patola is a crop that I should focus on growing”
“Nearly all my customers are Asians and Indian and they pay at a good price.
“They often asked me to bring my produce to their shops and I see that patola has a good market,” she said.
She sells a bundle for K5 and makes around K50 in a day.
Samuel urged other vendors to cultivate patola as it is starting to become a cash crop.
Patola is ideal to use in making soup and also known as Luffa acutangula or sponge gourd.