Subsistence taro farmers from remote Rebafu village in Sialum Local Level Government (LLG), Tewae Siassi District, are showing strong interest in moving toward commercial production through potential partnerships with the National Agriculture Research Institute (NARI).
Susan Emunare Geoba, from Rebafu village in Sialum LLG, Tewae Siassi District paid a visit to the National Agriculture Research Institute (NARI) on Wednesday (22/05/25) after hearing about NARI’s interests in Taro.
Hailing from a very remote part of Morobe Province, she managed to bring with her three samples, including a Yam. From her village in Rebafu, it took her a day of walking, to reach the coast before boarding a ship to Lae City.
“For the villagers, it takes about 5 to 6 hours to walk to the coast. I reside in Lae, so I don’t have the same stamina to walk that fast,” giggled Susan, but added she enjoys going to the village for free and an abundance of fresh produce.
Susan proudly boasts of the size of Taro in her village, making reference to the height of a 50cm cooking pot and about 20cm wide.
Coming from one of the most isolated areas of Morobe Province, Susan’s journey to Lae was a testament to her determination. She carried with her three large root crop samples, including taro and a yam, all grown in the rich soils of her village.
“The Taro is so heavy I managed to bring only three samples,” proudly exclaimed Susan, despite the burden of weight.
“Taro is significant in our culture. It signifies wealth and earns respect among villagers. Taro has great value in customary obligations such as Pride Price.
“Every household has a taro garden, so we have a surplus. We are willing to work with NARI to see how we can expand on the production and find a cost-effective means to transport the taro out.”
Susan highlighted a major barrier, which are poor infrastructure and high freight costs that makes it difficult for rural farmers to participate in formal markets.
Her visit included a meeting with NARI’s Director General, Dr. Nelson Simbiken, who welcomed the dialogue and acknowledged the immense potential in Morobe’s taro sector.
Dr Simbiken acknowledged that Morobe grows some of the best taro species in the country including NARI’s Taro, NT1 through NT7.
He echoed similar concerns of road infrastructure, transport, and freight as major hindrance for commercialization in rural areas.
“People are excited now and they want to supply taro but an issue for us is freight excess. We want to come up with a freight subsidy scheme for Morobe Province so that we can bring taro from the outskirts of Morobe.
“We are expecting some funding assistance from the government, for freight. Once that happens, we can be able to assist farmers like Susan who will help to meet the supply demand,” said Simbiken.