Market empowers local farmers

THE need to economically empower people is taking a new twist in the once laid-back town of Namatanai in New Ireland
What used to be the historical Namatanai Supermarket in the heart of the town has changed overtime.
It is now the home of WFA Buying Point, where local farmers in the district converge to sell their fresh produce to earn an income.

The monetary gain in the district has improved dramatically through this establishment (WFA Buying Point).
The populace, especially local farmers, have found economic liberation from the sale of their garden produce at WFA.
The WFA Buying Point is a conduit that comes under the Namatanai Advancement Ltd (NAL), the business arm of the Namatanai Development Authority (NDA) to serve the interest of the entire 100,000-plus people.
The vegetable buying point has created a conducive market environment that attracts farmers from the six LLGs in the district to sell their garden produce.
The benefit from this arrangement, through the office of local MP Walter Schnaubelt, has improved the livelihood of the people.
On June 28, WFA Buying Point reached its major milestone by breaking its daily average record of 1.8 tonnes to 4 tonnes of fruits and vegetables shipment to Nationwide Catering Services that currently serves the messing needs of the Lihir mine workforce.
In monetary terms this equates to K15,400-plus for NAL.
This is a milestone achieved only after opening its doors for business in December last year.
Schnaubelt said the major contributing factor was that the people in Namatanai had shifted from subsistence farming habits to now semi-commercial farming.
“This is evident on my recent trip home to see firsthand clan lands being cleared for fruits and vegetables,” he said
“Our local farmers are now getting confident in the WFA Buying Point because we’re now purchasing fruits and vegetables from the local farmers at a tune of K40,000 a week or K173,000 a month, which equates to K2 million per year.

“Our target is K4 million per year.”
The initiative by Schnaubelt is gradually gaining momentum.
Schnaubelt’s aim is to empower his people economically so that they can make informed and wise decisions to develop and move forward.
Farmers have opened up accounts with the MiBank Supa-Agent in the town as WFA has encouraged cashless payments.
Newcrest Mining Ltd executive general manager Craig Jetson said the livelihood of the people was changing as the opportunity created an open door for them to lift their standard of living at home by having access to an income opportunity.
He said the spinoff business opportunity was making an impact not only on NAL but the entire population of Namatanai.
When asked why it took 20 years to establish a project of this nature, Jetson said: “I was just waiting for the right leader with the vision to knock on my door to open this opportunity.’’