Official: Farmers need support of organisations to be involved in SME

FOR rural farmers to actively participate in small and medium enterprises (SMEs), they need to be part of an organisation, says a cooperative society chairman.
Yaria Innovative Cooperative Society (YICS) Ltd chairman Dominic George said rural farmers were “economically weak” and unable to further their economic and social interests through SMEs and involving them in an organisation would improve their participation.
George, who is also an officer with the Commerce and Industry Department, made the remarks during the presentation of K200,000 to YICS at Yaria village in Imbonggu, Southern Highlands, by Papua New Guinea Cooperative Society registrar Joseph Ingipa last Monday.
He said the Government’s initiative to promote SMEs were only benefitting already established businesses and such cooperative societies were the ones that would bring them together to participate.
“Dozens of cooperative societies have been formed in the past and they haven’t been used as the mouthpiece for the poor farmers,” George said.
“Many farmers hear of SMEs and have aims to do something positive but need someone or an organisation to push them.”
George said the K200,000 funding was a Christmas gift to the people and this month they would look at doing something with it on a smaller scale.
“We will try setting up a poultry farm or tyre service along the road,” he said.