Mobile Fresh Produce Market starts in Nawaeb

Mobile Fresh Produce Market (MFPM) has started in Boana area of Nawaeb, Morobe, with plans to roll out the concept to other major fresh produce areas in PNG.
MFPM is a subsidiary of NKW Fresh, which is heavily involved with farmers in Wau, many of whom have already become very successful.
NKW Fresh general manager Scott King said: “Today is a big day for our farmers.
“We will continue to build on the mobile market concept.
“We need to start the cold chain as early as possible to improve post-harvest quality and shelf life.
“One significant issue we have suffered is when produce arrives at our depots in a hot truck or PMV, it is often half-cooked already and we are unable to buy it.”
King said extension work completed by Boana-based field extension officer Sarah Koris and NKW field extension officers across PNG had resulted in very high-quality vegetables being produced.
“Boana was an ideal climate to launch the concept and NKW customers in PNG are benefitting as a result with longer shelf life,” he said.
“What we are doing is training farmers to grow export-grade products with export-grade seeds so that when we eventually secure larger export markets, the farmers will be ready to respond in quantity and quality.”
NKW Fresh is supported in its efforts to improve farmer incomes by the New Zealand government and the Australian market development facility.
Both these programmes, though small, address specific areas of support to enable NKW to build sustainable markets for farmers in PNG.
“It’s early in the planning stage, but we are keen to roll out the mobile market model across PNG,” King said.
“We call on governments at all levels to maintain access roads and highways for the benefit of the people.”
NKW Fresh Lae manager Joyce Karava said there was a noticeable difference in quality from their refrigerated collection centres compared to produce that arrived from cooler areas to Lae in hot trucks.