Selling tobacco from Wewak

Business

By JACKLYN SIRIAS
A GROUP of tobacco sellers from East Sepik is selling their product in Port Moresby to earn good money for their families back home.
Ruben Kinbaga, 42, from Maprik told The National on Saturday that they came to the capital city to market their products because they could earn good money.
“In the past, we rely on cocoa, copra, vanilla and other cash crops to sustain our living and to cater for our daily needs and expenses,” he said.
But Kinbaga said all these cash crops had been facing problems with diseases affecting their growth.
“So we now tried to look for other means and ways to fend for our children’s school fees, materials for permanent houses in the village, cater for customary obligations like bride price payments and so forth,” he said.
“If we stayed back home (in Wewak) and do our selling there, we would only get around K50 to K100 which is not much.”
Kinbaga said they spent more than K1000 on every trip to Port Moresby and expected to make more profits.
The expenses include airfares, transport from the village to Wewak, excess luggage, food and accommodation.
“The quantity of tobacco we bring depends on the production in the village. The weights ranges from 18 to 30 kilogrammes which usually cost more than K600 to freight on planes,” Kinbaga said.
“We would stay for weeks and months even more than a year just to wait for all the tobacco to be sold out.
“I won’t just come to the city without an ambition. I have children. I am a father and I have needs to cater for my family.”
The tobacco sellers are from Yangoru, Maprik, Drekikier and Wosera.