A Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between Trukai Industries and the Papua New Guinea Government was established to formalize and recognise the commitment that Trukai Industries has to Agricultural Development in PNG. The MOA also establishes a partnership between Trukai and the PNG Government and sets the scene for a pooling of resources to provide the greatest possible return to both organizations from efforts to foster agricultural development.
The goals of the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between Trukai Industries Limited and the Government of Papua New Guinea (PNG) are:
To facilitate the development and expansion of agricultural production in PNG particularly amongst smallholder producers,
To enhance rural employment opportunities, and
To increase the agricultural skills of Papua New Guineans.
Objectives
To effectively manage 17 agricultural projects as per the MOA. The projects are aimed at three broad program areas; Rice Industry Development, Maize and Peanut Production and Beef Industry Development. All data and reports are available to the public. The projects are managed by the Agribusiness Division of Trukai Industries and are implemented by Trukai Farms in the Markham Valley.
Strategies to achieve the goals and objectives of the MOA are divided into three program areas. These program areas involve:
The research and development component focuses on collaborative projects with the University of Technology (Unitech), The National Agricultural Research Institute (NARI) and the National and Provincial Departments of Agriculture and Livestock (DAL). Examples of projects within this program area include the collaborative biological control projects with NARI and the Collaborative Project on Rice Production with Unitech. In the NARI project Trukai Agribusiness funds the research, surveys and supplies facilities for the biological control agent while expertise is supplied by NARI. In the joint Unitech project Trukai Agribusiness provides funds for the University Agriculture Department to undertake research on rice breeding and production systems as well as economic evaluation of rice production systems.
Education and training involves the sponsorship of agricultural students, field days and farmer demonstrations. It also involves farm tours by school and university students, the training of staff locally and overseas, the publication of agricultural booklets and support of agricultural workshops and industry associations.
Improved agricultural production is the ultimate aim of all the projects. Importantly the projects seek to ensure that agricultural production systems are both profitable and sustainable. After research and development and training components are successfully completed the results are reproduced on a commercial scale. For example, rice varieties are evaluated and grown for commercial sale at the Cleanwater site. Peanut and maize varieties are multiplied for seed and then offered to the National and Provincial Departments of Agriculture and Livestock for distribution. Improved cattle genetics from artificial insemination programs flow through to smallholder cattle producers when heifers are sold and through a bull exchange program.
Marketing of agricultural produce is vital if agricultural production is to be sustainable. Major impediments to smallholder agricultural production include their ability to market small amounts of produce and transport of produce to markets. Therefore Trukai Agribusiness concentrates on assisting smallholder producers with the marketing of locally produced rice, peanuts and beef, this in turn encourages production and the uptake of new technologies and production systems. Examples include; the operation of the Erap Rice Receival Depot to purchase paddy rice from farmers, the commissioning of an unused peanut processing line at Morobe Provincial Government Farm at Wawin and the establishment of an alternative marketing channel for beef producers.
