Local rice farmer, Trukai team up to support food security in PNG

By HEZRON KISING
A RICE farmer in Morobe has partnered with Trukai Industries Ltd to promote the local rice industry and support food security in the country.
“So much money is spent to import rice to meet consumer demand in the country,” local rice farmer Matthew Poang said.
“Crops such as rice which can be grown and processed locally should be grown by local farmers to promote the local industry, support the national economy and also support food security.”
Poang harvested his 15 hectares of Trukai’s home-grown “Hamamas” rice in August at Poahom, Ahi local level government in Nawaeb.
He was determined to grow rice and support PNG’s food security and he received K25,000 for his first harvest.
Poang said he was also considering expanding his rice field to grow more rice and involve other locals in Bukawa. He said the project would also bring other services like a solar station and a resource centre to assist and educate the local community about rice farming and other agriculture activities.
Trukai rice development manager Aina Davis, who will assist Poang with technical support and other project information to continue the project, said it was a pilot project in partnership with a local farmer to see if they could produce quality rice, good quantity yield and test the kind of soil and environment the rice was grown on.
“The programme aims to engage local farmers to form cooperative societies that can involve the whole community to participate in rice farming,” she said.
Davis said Trukai would support the farmers with machinery and equipment.
“We will also assist the farmers with basic knowledge on different types of rice grains, soil types, rice moisture and general knowledge on quality checks on the grains.”
Trukai agronomist Anton Beko said from the 15 hectares, they harvested three tonnes of rice per hectare.
“The percentage of loss during the harvest was less and we’ve achieved good yield results,” he said.
“The only challenged faced was stormy weather during the wet season in June to July, however, the soil is fertile and the rice grew well.”