Province buying 17 trucks for farmers

National

By PETER WARI
THE Southern Highlands government is to buy 17 trucks, costing about K5.6 million, for farmers in the local level government to transport potatoes to the Highlands agriculture industrial centre (AIC) in Pangia, says Governor William Powi.
Powi said there were 20 LLGs in the province but three – Bosave which had no road, Ialibu and Mendi urban – would have to wait for a while to get it.
“I have instructed acting provincial administrator Joseph Cajestan to get quotations for the 17 Hino trucks and also distribute 200 bags of potatoes to hardworking farmers,” he said.
“After the 14-day lockdown, I will go to the province and deliver more potato seedlings and the trucks to the LLGs.
“I want my people to venture into agricultural activities.
“The biggest opportunity for local farmers is potato farming as it won’t be like other crops that take time to be sold and people must embrace this opportunity as we have good land suitable for growing the crop.”
Instead of focus on extractive industries (oil and gas) that will run dry out one day, Powi said he preferred to empower people and support the small and medium enterprise (SME) sector.
Powi said seedlings would be harvested in two months and the trucks would be moving around in the LLGs to transport harvests to the factory.
He said frozen French fries made from potato would be the first product to come out of the facility which required 4,000 tonnes of potatoes each year.
Farmers from Eastern Highlands, Western Highlands and Enga were also involved in growing the crop to supply the new centre (AIC) in Pangia.
“This is one of the very important agricultural activities the provincial government is giving priority to.”