Plant lovers smile as trade blossoms

Weekender
HORTICULTURE

By ZACHERY PER
IN 1990, a young man from Mu village in Sinasina-Yongumugl area of Chimbu was collecting rubbish in the ‘four-corner’ provincial capital Kundiawa.
Town residents, businesses people, public servants and the general public on their daily business in town wondered how and why such a young man was collecting rubbish because he did not show any signs of abnormalities or mental discrepancies.
To everyone’s surprise the following year the young man converted his collections into plant nurseries and was selling them in front of Kundiawa Post Office braving the heat of the sun, the dust and rain in ‘K town’.
Eric Sinebare who is currently the Executive Director of Simbu Botany Club started off with rubbish collections from the streets of Kundiawa town.
His collections were mostly packets of paper drinks and plastic cups to make plant nurseries for his private environmental protection project the ‘Sangamanga Conservation Environmental Protection (SCEP)’ based in his Mu village.
“I collect rubbish in K town to do nurseries; I was the first man to sell flowers in Kundiawa near the post office in 1990 and 1991. The provincial education division had a special occasion that time and former senior officer in Kundiawa, John Kawagle engaged me to do floral decorations. He sent a vehicle to Mu village and we brought all my plants to decorate the place for the special occasion,” Sinebare said.
Since then there was no looking back as the Sineyal (Sinesine man) saw opportunities starting to open up as he headed forward and was engaged in various programmes and activities concerning environment conservation and protection.
While pursuing his ambitions, Sinebare found likeminded individuals and family groups doing pot plants, growing herbs, planting flowers, back yard gardeners, orchid growers, others preserving insects and general conservation of their local bushes.
“I found them doing all these activities as hobbies and out of their love for plants,” Sinebare said.
He said some made food gardens and some collected of different species of plants they liked.
“Doing such projects in big groups there are always conflicts and problem; where were they going to get funding, materials and tools? However, the lack of finance could not kill the burning desire to conserve and protect plants,” he said.
Sinebare’s Sangamanga Conservation Environment Protection (SCEP) got heavily involved in assisting these groups because they were not aligned to any associations, incorporated groups but only individuals or family interest groups.
After years of assisting them, Sinebare founded the Simbu Botany Cub in 2005 and pooled these likeminded individuals and groups together.
“I made them become founding members of the Simbu Botany Club, a non-profit entity which only facilitates to source assistance from outside to help its members and groups. We make recommendations to secure assistance in cash and kind if there are any organsations or donor partners willing to help,” he said.
As the club grew in numbers from its initial membership of 15 from Gumine, Kerowagi, Chuave and Kundiawa-Gembogl, the need for exposure and recognition was felt, and that led them to stage the first ever plant and agriculture show.
“We staged the first show in 2008. The Department of Agriculture and Livestock (DAL) came in as we called the event Simbu Plants and Agriculture Show. Farmers took part and displayed agricultural products,” Sinebare said.
The inaugural show attracted former Kundiawa-Gembogl MP late Joe Mek Teine, former Gumine MP and Minister for Lands and Physical Planning Lucas Dawa, National Capital Governor Powes Parkop, then owner of PNG Gardner and current Port Moresby South MP Justin Tkchenko and Chimbu’s former deputy governor Teine Sogan.
The first show led Governor Parkop to establish a sister-city relationship between Kundiawa town and Port Moresby city to allow programme exchanges for mutual benefit. The concept exists to these days where many benefits and forms of assistance are being solicited.
Sinebare said the sustainability of Simbu Botany Club and the show was in the hands of younger generations. In every show schools are encouraged to participate.
“The sustainability is guaranteed therefore we encourage school students to come to the show, they have less time to learn about the importance and value of plant conservations and even students in towns have no alliance with plants. We allow schools and children to participate in the shows every year and give them have access in a much bigger arena,” Sinebare said.
He said if any members of the Simbu Botany Club made money, that was good but for them; the club only assisted them with documentation if there was any need for it.
Sinebare said the club was then led to get female members going into floriculture projects stemmed from the concept and it became a good money earner for women floriculturists.
Today, women’s floriculture is blooming in Chimbu. The Botany club arranges for floriculturists to attend the PNG Floriculture Show in Port Moresby and they won the first prize in 2018 and 2019.
Sinebare said there were 36 women doing floriculture. They take many unique higher altitude species to the show.
“Chimbu has Mt Wilhelm, the highest mountain in PNG. We are always competitive when judging for rare and unique species of flowers is concerned. We are hard to beat,” he said.
The club has been conducting a lot of fundraising drives to generate revenue to sustain its operation, it merely survives on its own struggles.
A blessing came to the club recently when the Department of Environment Conservation and Climate Change engaged Simbu Botany Club to conduct tree planting in the province fight to combat climate change issues.
Sinebare said the tree planting contract was a huge blessing because through it the club was giving indirect help to members.
“Members are doing tree nurseries and are getting money for their seedlings to meet their financial needs; they use the money to buy flower pots or polythene bags or anything they need for their plants.
“We are encouraging members to do nurseries in green nets. They have to work to get the money indirectly, they cannot get it directly. We are getting deep into schools, encouraging them to do nurseries and we are buying from them,” Sinebare said.
He thanked God for opening an opportunity through which they are engaging stakeholders to do nurseries. He also acknowledged Minister for Environment Conservation and Climate Change for selecting Simbu Botany Club to coordinate the tree planting project in Chimbu.
Sinebare said for this year’s show, the club had bought tents to house displays at the Dicksons Oval in Kundiawa town.
The club also facilitates for researchers and students studying botany, plant biology, herbal medicine and environment to do research work at their establishments.