Gumine catches agribusiness fever

COVER STORY

By ENNIO KUBLE
AGRIBUSINESS in Chimbu’s Gumine district is in its infancy but already it is opening up the minds of people to the catch phrase of self-empowerment.
Two other catch phrases; the ‘Going rural’ slogan of the provincial government and the Coffee Industry Corporation’s Lukautim graun na graun bai lukautim yu are also attuned to the agribusiness initiative of Gumine district.
Agribusiness for Gumine has been the brainchild of Gumine MP Nick Kuman to empower his people to first establish themselves with their available arable land, produce crops that have high commercial value, develop business acumen, and explore viable markets to earn themselves higher monetary returns.
With that goal Kuman, who was then Minister for Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology in 2020 entered into a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the Fresh Produce Development Agency (FPDA). In the MOA, the Gumine District Development Authority (DDA) provided initial funding of K154, 000 while FPDA provided farmer training, advocacy and field extension services.
And so, the story of Gumine going into agro business starting with potato and bulb onion has begun.
Last September Kuman had announced the rollout of K3.8 million of the remaining K5.4 million, funds earmarked for small-medium-enterprises (SME) in the 2019 -2020 budget, to the three local level government areas of Gumine.
Three key government ministers, Sam Basil, Rainbo Paita and Michael Nali also witnessed the presentation.
Kuman told a capacity crowd of over 2,000 people that Gumine has the potential to produce cocoa, bulb-onion and potato. With the opening up of road access to Karamui food and cash crops would be transported through Gumine.
He said an SME incubation center would be set up at Dirima by the DDA where all produce would be bought at the market price. The DDA will find markets to sell these produce.
He said the SME incubation center would then set up economic zones for Salt-Nomane-Karamui, East and West Kambia, and the Bomai areas of Gumine to promote specific crops.
Kuman said the funds would be used as seed money to grow potatoes, bulb onion, and cocoa; crops that bring in higher economic returns to the growers.
“My aim is to grow one million cocoa trees in Gumine by the end of this Parliament,” he said.
Already the people in the high temperate zone in Bomai area of Kumain-Bomai and part of Gumine LLGs are growing cocoa at this time.
“My people of Gumine, don’t think that the member is giving you money to use elsewhere to give me votes. I want you to invest in your land for your future,” he added.
National Planning Minister Sam Basil also said the Covid-19 outbreak has impacted Government revenues.
Therefore the Government responded by funding SMEs and agriculture through stabilisation funds to revive cocoa and coffee production and other agribusinesses.
The potential Gumine holds in potato and bulb onion production, the two crops that have high commercial value, has been left idle over time and until recently when the two crops are “sprouting in the field.”
Up till now 17 tonnes of seed potato have been harvested from the 3.5 tonnes of seed potato distributed to 10 model farms in the Gumine LLG by FPDA in September. FPDA will arrange for seed buyers to buy the Gumine potato seeds.
FPDA coordinator in Chimbu David Kaupa said FPDA has a big interest to go into partnership with the provincial governments and district to venture into agribusiness.
“A new area we in FPDA ventured into is Gumine district. We signed a MOA with an initial funding of K100, 000 but before that Nick Kuman gave K54,000 and we got some materials, 100 bags of potato and agro chemicals.
With the funding we established 10 model farms for seed production and distribution for Gumine district in order for Gumine to have its own seed base,” Kaupa said.
The 10 farmers were from Boromil, which is a single ward from the Kumai-Bomai LLG, and Dirima-Yani with Gumine Central of the Gumine LLG.
Kaupa said the 10 farmers received 10 bags of seed potatoes each with spray pumps, fertilizers, tools, and accessories worth of K4,000 distributed to each farmer while FPDA teams conducted trainings in potato and bulb onion production.
“After four weeks of planting beginning in November we trained farmers on how to use agro chemicals,” he added.
“Bulb onion training has captured the interest of the youths from the Gumine basin area. Ward councilors, teachers and members of the community attended trainings. The majority of the people who attended the training were youths and mothers.”
He said two very commercially significant crops were bulb onion and potato. Based on the MOA FPDA wanted to develop the two crops in Gumine district starting with the Gumine LLG area and extend to the other LLGs of Kumai-Bomai and Digine.
“As of today the interest is very high, especially among the youths; the young men are saying that they needed to go out and cultivate their land.
“With the interests captured I would appeal to leaders in the community from Dirima-Yani, Boromil and Gumine especially the ward councilors that we require leadership to support the interest of the young people. Whatever ward intervention funds they have should be managed evenly so that FPDA with its technical officers can partner well with individual wards to develop agro-business.
“It is a timely approach. One way to utilise your small to medium enterprise funds is to partner with FPDA to provide technical assistance to your farmers,” Kaupa pleaded.
Unfortunately that is not the case for Gumine LLG that has 21 council wards.
The councilors prioritised their funds into other areas of igniting economic activities in Gumine LLG when they were allocated their share from the total K5.4 million earmarked for SMEs in the district. A bigger portion was budgeted for the yet-to-be-built SME incubation center in Dirima area, apart from direct seed funds injection into the 45 wards in the district.
A former agriculture field extension officer Samson Sipa, in a training and potato planting demonstration held in Moremaule area of Digine LLG spoke highly of the training that was conducted early this year.
“Training is every important. It is done free as it will cost money to get such training elsewhere. We are lucky and should feel grateful that the FPDA technical officers are here conducting life-skills training to us,” he told his potential farmers.
Sipa advocated to his people produce seed potato, manage time to obtain quality produce, and learn basic money management skills to use the earnings for reinvestment.
Moremaule Ward 1 people involving 30 family members have cultivated a total of 4.5 hectares of land up the sloppy terrain of Mt Wikauma under the business name Wikauma Kibi Integrated Farming.
In the question and answer sessions FPDA potato specialist Akia Aira explained that potato grew well above 1,800 meters above sea level.
Aira urged the people to apply practicality in putting the potato seed into the soil and on to the market tables.
He said the FPDA team has been in Gumine to stimulate interest and conduct trainings to model farmers in potato and bulb onion production.
Aira said the initiative would then translate into agro-business and for the youths to become self-reliant in the long run.
“From the 10 model potato farmers the result we obtained from the production on the variety of potato will be recommended back to them to pursue. It depends on the production and performance of the crop variety in Gumine. Whatever we are currently doing is a trial. Based on the results we will recommend which variety is suitable to the climate and weather in Gumine,” Aira said.
The three seed potato varieties introduced into the district were Sequoia, E2 and Santana, a newly introduced variety by Innovative Agro Industries based in Pangia, Southern Highlands. Santana was imported from the Netherlands in 2019.
“The numbers of people attending trainings are increasing all the time and that shows that people have interest in farming and in agro business. If the interest is there we would be happy to cultivate that interest.”
Aira said a unique thing about potato was that the seeds were locally generated starting from National Agricultural Research Institute’s (Nari) lab( plantlets stage) to FPDA’s Tambul screen house (mini tubers stage), then to mother seed growers and from there, certified elite seed potato were made available to the farmers.
He also pointed out that in terms of money potato could generate good amounts of money for growers.
“For a seed bag of 35kg it cost K165. It is sufficient money for 35kg bag. As you see the outcome is also promising. It also has success stories where potato farmers have ventured into other businesses. That is the experience based on potato. With potato you won’t go wrong.”
He said the outcome was promising and yet very challenging to get into potato farming too.
“It requires time, commitment, and also you will rely on agro chemicals starting from the planting to harvesting. And also to produce seeds there are minimum standards where farmers would have to follow strictly to produce clean and quality seeds. FPDA inspections team will have to go through the standards to certify the seeds.”
A model potato farmer in Gumine LLG, David Kora who got 10 bags of potato seeds from FPDA said the outcome was promising after making a harvest of over 40 bags early this year.
Kora said: “We have the land and labour but there is no in-betweens to boost us to farm. However, through the MOA, we were motivated by the technical officers from FPDA that money is in the land. In Gumine we have had no such project before but now, the partnership between the FPDA and Gumine is moving potato and bulb onion an inch further.”
Kora said the 10 model farms started in 2020 and have worked well with the FPDA technical officers led by Kaupa, potato specialist Aira and bulb onion specialist James Aniau.
Hubert Gena, also a model farmer of Ward 4 in Gumine LLG said it was the first time FPDA showed its presence in Gumine.
“We produced potato and the seeds are in the seed house. We are now looking at bulb onion. We have received basic training on bulb onion and our seedlings are in the nursery,” Gena said.
There are now seven bulb onion model farms in the Gumine LLG. Seedling transplants have been done and harvest is due by the end this month.
Kaupa further elaborated that marketing of the seed potato was under the control of FPDA.
“Once we get market-driven crops like bulb onion and potato produced in big volumes, markets will be established. Farmers will be further trained on quality and consistency of fresh produce production.
“FPDA will further conduct training on post-harvest handling at farm gate and also basic book keeping.”
Kaupa also mentioned that recent field trials conducted on potato and bulb onion have proved very promising give huge confidence and opportunities for Gumine to tap into bulb onion and potato farming as a business.
But the agonies of the farmers remain, and that needs exploring by both the Gumine DDA and FPDA.

• Enio Kuble is a freelance journalist