New agreement focuses on growth of small businesses

The National PNG

HUMAN Development Institute (HDI) and the Women’s Micro Bank (WMB) last week signed a memorandum of agreement for the growth of micro and small to medium enterprises in the country.

Through this partnership, informal sector clients will go through training from HDI, whereas WMB will ensure credit facility to the graduated clients.

The credit will be supervised by HDI to ensure the amounts accessed by the customer are being utilised in the MSME sector and informal sector.

This is to ensure access to credit by skilled and trained customers to start or upgrade their income-generating activities.

“Savings should be the first expenditure of income, not the last,” says Gunanidhi Das, general manager of WMB. Access to finance and imbibing savings culture is the pillar of success for informal entrepreneurs and MSME sector.”

Bank chairman Ricky Mitio said: “Breaking cultural barriers by providing access to finance to women entrepreneurs will bring economic prosperity in informal sector, and increase livelihood for under-privileged families in an inclusive manner.”

Founder and chairman of HDI, Samuel Tam said: “With the support of WMB, HDI PV business scheme is now a great opportunity for all Papua New Guineans to learn business-class knowledge and thinking to develop, manage and own profitable income-generating projects or businesses from micro, small, medium and large enterprise in all types of industries including agriculture and livestock, fisheries, timber, horticulture, art-and-craft, processing, manufacture, IT, retail, wholesale, cooking, hospitality, export, import and others.”

HDI is a leading nationwide training provider registered with the National Training Council of Papua New Guinea.

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Outspan pays out K325,000 to Mamose growers

OUTSPAN PNG Ltd has rewarded cocoa growers in Mamose with incentives totalling K325,000 through its Rainforest Alliance incentive payout programme.
Farmers in Yangoru and Angoram, East Sepik, received K125,000 while those in Madang received K90,000 and Markham in Morobe K110, 000.

The premium payments were determined by volumes supplied through various sustainability programmes aimed at improving crop yields, quality and farmer livelihoods.
East Sepik Cocoa Board regional manager Daryll Worimo Wobar acknowledged Outspan’s efforts.

He said it added value by bringing buyers directly to farms on a regular basis to understand more about how cocoa was grown in the country.
Wobar said no other export business had implemented such projects like Outspan with its unwavering approach to directly invest in farmers that supply cocoa beans.
National Agriculture Quarantine Inspection Authority regional manager Sophie Numbuk was impressed to witness cocoa farmers receive additional incentives for their efforts in cocoa.

She said there was an increasing market interest for quality PNG cocoa beans due to the unique flavor.

Numbuk encouraged farmers to continue applying best practices to meet future demand.

In Madang, 250 farmers were rewarded on Thursday.

Division of primary industry assistant director Godfreid Savi said there was no better example of working in partnership than what Outspan was undertaking in Madang.

He said the approach between Outspan and farmers, involving various stakeholders, was reaping rewards in the development of cocoa Industry in country.

Savi said farmers’ efforts to boost cocoa production in Madang resulted in K61 million being paid to them in 2018 compare to K40 million in 2017.

He said the Outspan and Rainforest Alliance programme demonstrated real passion and true heart for cocoa farmers.

The company also conducts cocoa sustainability projects in East Sepik, Madang, Morobe and East New Britain in conjunction with international chocolate companies Mars, Lindt and Puratos.

The programmes aim to improve farmers’ livelihoods by providing free training support, tools, seedling distribution, market access support and reward programmes.

Source: The National PNG

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Cocoa boost eyed for Markham

A landowner group in the Umi-Atzera LLG, of Markham district, will enter a joint venture with Mainland Holdings Ltd (MHL) to use their land for a cocoa development project.
In 2016, farmers in Markham alone earned K5 million from cocoa production.

Information from the PNG Cocoa Board during the period indicated that the district topped the province in cocoa production. More than 1000 hectares of land within the vicinity of the once-renowned Markham Peanut Butter facility will now be turned into a large-scale cocoa development project area.

Garam locals from Wafibampung village near the Leron plains have accepted an invitation from MHL to participate in this project.

MHL is the lease-holder of the land on which one of its subsidiary companies, Niugini Table Birds, operates the Garam Breeder Farm.

The company has used its discretion to formally invite landowners to participate in this business venture to improve and maximise landowner participation.
Six villages consisting of five clans, with a population of more than 7000 men, women and children, will be involved in this project.

Markham district development authority chief executive Henry Mileng said it was a significant opportunity provided by the company to involve local landowners.

He said Markham DDA would provide technical support to assist landowners prepare for the project.

Mileng said landowner participation would improve the rural economy and the lives of the people living in the surrounding communities. Garam landowners’ chairman Kevin Rifi said the landowners would work together for the benefit of the project.

“We have been waiting for such a large-scale impact project over the years,” he said.

“Markham is blessed with this massive landmass and to have a project of this magnitude is a blessing to us.”

Source: The National PNG

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