TRUKAI & PNGUoT SMART FARMER PROGRAM CONTINUES

By Phyllia PISEP

The Smart Farmer partnership between the Papua New Guinea University of Technology’s (PNGUoT) School of Agriculture and Trukai Industries continues to progress with more rice farmers being trained through this joint arrangement.
The 4th batch of farmers are currently undergoing the first part of the training at the PNGUoT campus, in a series of theory lessons being conducted by trainers from the university and Trukai to help farmers start their rice farming business.

*Trainer and participants during a practical at PNGUoT’s Taraka Campus in Lae.*

Two of the participants expressed that this partnership has provided great opportunity for simple farmers to access information and training. Benson Billy, a local farmer participant from Eastern Highlands said, he is excited to be part of this batch in this Smart Farmer’s program. “I am learning a lot in this program and will always be grateful for this opportunity to learn this from both Trukai and PNGUoT”, he said. Another participant from Madang, Felix Kokut said, “This program is going to help us local farmers around PNG”.

*From Left: Benson Billy and Felix Kokut during the practical.*

He added that, local farmers don’t often get enough recognition and equal opportunities as other sectors do and for this program to be organised by this partnership is truly amazing. Mr. Kokut described the Smart Farmer’s Program as a life-time achievement for each and everyone of them.

The Trukai and PNGUoT Smart Farmer Program began in 2022 through the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between Trukai and PNGUoT, to pave way for farmers to receive education accreditation from a tertiary institution in the country. This exemplary public-private partnership promotes academic and professional research and training through the advancement of science and technology.

During the MOA signing, Chief Executive officer of Trukai Industries Alan Preston said, “This program is our contribution towards rice development in PNG and we are looking forward to the positive outcome this will have on the livelihoods of the participants and their surrounding communities.”

Vice Chancellor of PNGUoT Professor Ora Renagi continues to maintain that the university must be able to impact communities through the knowledge and research kept at institution, and this has been an avenue to share the skills and knowledge to rural rice farmers.

One of the trainers, PNGUoT’s School of Agriculture’s Plant Breeder, Professor Tom Okpul, commended Trukai’s initiative in teaching valuable rice cultivation skills to local farmers. “Trukai is one of our major corporate contributors in its support in agriculture research and scholarship programs,” he said.

These 4th batch of participants will actively participate in both theory and practical windows of this program.
To complete this program, there will be four modules to cover, starting with the Introduction to Rice; Rice Environment and Irrigation Farming;Rice Cultivation Cycle, and Rice Farming Business and Management.