British American Tobacco PNG (BAT PNG) and Fresh Produce Development Agency (FPDA) have joined hands to aid rural bulb onion farmers in Papua New Guinea (PNG). The partnership aims to provide financial assistance to the farmers and increase the quality and quantity of their produce. As a part of this initiative, BAT PNG will contribute K1 million for the construction of 50 solar dryers for bulb onions in different locations in PNG, with each dryer costing around K20,000, totaling over K1 million for two years.
This partnership marks BAT PNG's first investment in the agriculture sector. "The government’s goal of reclaiming PNG through agriculture highlights the crucial role that agriculture plays in the country’s food security and economic stability. We are pleased to partner with FPDA who are experienced and credible partners in this space," said BAT PNG General Manager, Vamid Maksimenko.
The FPDA will manage the funds and oversee the construction and placement of the solar dryers in the bulb onion farming cooperatives across PNG. The project will benefit about 3000 to 5000 onion farming households, helping them reduce post-harvest losses related to drying and storage issues.
FPDA CEO Mark Worinu emphasized the importance of improving the quality of local bulb onions and the challenges involved in the curing process. He added that the solar dryer partnership with the University of Technology has already improved the curing and post-harvest management of bulb onions. The partnership with BAT PNG will provide additional support to the program, and FPDA is ready to implement the project in the next two years.
This initiative is a significant step towards promoting sustainable agriculture and improving the livelihoods of the farmers in PNG. As the renowned author and environmentalist, Wendell Berry said, "The soil is the great connector of lives, the source and destination of all. It is the healer and restorer and resurrector, by which disease passes into health, age into youth, death into life."
