Rice, a staple food but not a staple crop in PNG

 That's such a bold statement yet it rings true all over Papua New Guinea.

We love out rice yet it's not considered a priority cash crop- we'd rather eat imported rice. And import we do- over 400,000 tons each year according to the Department of Agriculture. That's around the K600million mark which is about 85percent of demand according to the department. PNG's Rice Policy 2015-2030 to cultivate domestic rice to feed this demand remains a mammoth task that while not new, still has to be properly realized in PNG. Coupled with issues on the import quota system, it may not be quick fix but a working progress.

And the people of Aronis in Madang's Sumkar LLG are attempting to change this cycle. 

I stumbled upon a family there, huddled together around the fire. The hot amber slowly cooling down but despite being in this remote community, a huge pot of rice sits atop a well used fly wire, used to hold up the pot above the fire, balanced ontop four large stones. No vegetable dish in sight. Looks like it's pure rice and tinned fish for dinner. I ask them if that was all they were having for dinner to which they reply, yes. The mother says she had been to town and back and was not able to gather food crops from the garden thus rice for dinner. Her teen daughter smirks and sheepishly adds, "It's usually rice for dinner, no one wants to go to the garden."

"If we love our rice so much, let's grow it," says Andrew Fei. He's behind his community getting into rice agriculture and their efforts were recently rewarded with the presentation of a rice milling machine by Trukai Industries Ltd, a deal brokered with the National Agriculture Research Institute and Aronis the beneficiary.

Fei who has been to Indonesia's rice paddies and experienced their passion to grow a staple food in their diet had asked why it was the total opposite for Papua New Guinea.

"We love it but for the life of me, we can't grow it to meet this demand."

NARI through Director General Dr Sergie Bang has committed to provide technical support to the Aronis rice farmers for the purpose.

Bang who has been vocal during this covid19 lock down period on the importance of food security says the farming culture of Papua New Guinea has taken a huge nose dive and agriculture development has suffered because of it.

He says unless Papua New Guinea's harness agriculture to drive it's economy, it will continue to be the train we have missed time and time again.

For Andrew Fei and his farmers of Aronis, they just want to be able to grow their own rice and not spend so much on it for their daily sustenance. 

"If we're able to produce enough to feed ourselves and have a little extra to make money for other necessities, our work is done."

They live up in the hills of Megiar in Madang's Sumgilbar LLG of Sumkar District and all they hope for is to get by each day with a little less expense.

"If we eat it all the time, we most definitely can grow it." 

Ends//





Comments

  1. UnknownOctober 10, 2020 at 4:38 PM

    This bold statement rings true. Papua New Guineans depend on rice as a staple diet but it's not our staple crop. A meal is not complete these days withou rice. The rice suppliers are making a fortune from PNG consumers. About time the government look at encouraging and supporting rice farming in the country on a larger scale.

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownOctober 10, 2020 at 8:25 PM

    Every household can't live without rice. I find it very difficult going home to my village for holidays. Everyone is making very huge hectares of food garden yet they wil still choose rice over all the hours, days, nights, weeks and months of their time on the very food they work hard for. If the department of agriculture through rural development offices can supply, encourage and support village farmers with rice seedlings, I am positive they will put that same energy to grow rice and their local food. There won't be any need to travel into towns and cities to buy rice.

    ReplyDelete
  3. BeaOctober 11, 2020 at 5:27 AM

    I don't know what it is about rice but we all love it. Whether it is boiled in coconut cream or just in enough water topped with some cooking oil or simply (some might say lazily, hehe) only in water. Someone said to me, 'I can't feel full after eating only vegetables. It's like the rice grains fill the gaps in my stomach so I feel satisfied when I eat rice with garden food." Rice having a higher carbohydrate content must be responsible. A study by NARI (on a small PNG community) on the Informal production and marketing of rice found that the main constraint is the lack of equipment to sustainably continue production of rice. Second to that was training on how to manage rice production. The third being a lack of market for surplus Issues. It will be very beneficial to many to take rice production more seriously & revive this very old industry. We are hard working people. It can be done properly. I feel there cannot be a more important demand for rice than need by us, rice eaters. Too good Aronis lain. We're with you. Thank you.

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