Roads to link rural farmers

The National Weekender
BUSINESS
The new Belombibi-Karangan road connecting Wasu to Sialum.

By SYLVESTER GAWI
NOT all isolated communities in Papua New Guinea are connected by road networks. For many, it takes up to a week or two for the people to walk long distances to access basic government services.In the Tewai-Siassi District of Morobe, this has been a problem for more than 70-years since early colonial establishments.From the landlocked regions of the Sarawaget Range to the coastal villages along the Huon Peninsula, the struggle for road access has forced agricultural crops to rot on the way to markets. A massive livestock production was reduced when freight costs increased.Government-established institutions like community schools are deteriorating and public servants have left these areas due to no road access to sustain their services.While successive governments have tried to solve these transportation hardships, many goat tracks were covered with shrubs making these roads impassable.Since taking office in November 2019 after two years of an election court battle, Tewai-Siassi MP Dr Kobby Bomareo initiated several major road projects in the district. These roads were funded by the Department of Works through the Pangu-led government’s Connect PNG road programme.These roads are Zunzaing- Masa, Ongo- Wawet, Siassi Ring road, Belombibi- Karangan road from Wasu to Sialum and Wasu-Kikieng and Bumbu-Ipang road.“The lack of roads and bridges have been major setback in my district for many years,” says Bomareo.The upgrade of the road from Wasu station to Neng junction has been completed and the new cut road clearance and construction has reached Goma River.Remote villages of Sewalon, Meandum, Honpato, Belombibi village and primary school all the way to Karangan are now connected by road.Machinery and contractors are waiting for flooding to subside so they can cross over to Kumukio and Zauma in Sialum.Bridges will also be constructed over the rivers.“These roads will serve thousands of farmers and people from inland areas of bordering Finschafen to Sialum, Kabwum, Wasu and neighbouring Raicoast district in Madang,” says Bomareo.The Zunzaing-Masa road links the border communities of Finschafen to Sialum in the Tewai-Siassi District. It will also be bridged over the Masaweng River to the Finschafen- Lae coastal highway.Locals at Rua village in Sialum say the people in these remote areas have seen ballot boxes for the past 40 years but have not seen the sweet talks translate into reality.Youth leaders also promised to look after the contractors and machineries in order to see the road connect Zunzaing, Masa and Siwea villages.“We would like to thank the MP for thinking of us and our villages now connected to a road network),” says a local leader.The inland Dedua communities are one of the unreached people in Morobe who have seen little government support.For many years, they have walked with donkeyloads to reach the nearest market and government services. Some had walked with their livestock to Lae to sell.The MP says despite neglect by previous government he is committed to ensure these roads are completed and maintained during his tenure.“We are slowly but surely connecting our isolated communities despite challenges with weather,” says the first term MP.Local cooperative groups in the district also acknowledged these road networks amplifying the need for better roads for rural subsistence farmers to bring their produce to the markets.They havee also welcomed the government’s price support programme which will greatly assist local farmers in the cocoa and coffee industry.The Tewai-Siassi DDA also appropriated K1million for five new markets to be built in the three LLGs. Financial literacy and SME trainings are being conducted to ensure local farmers and members of the communities are equipped with knowledge and skills to manage their money.

  • The author is a freelance journalist and blogger.