Trukai Industries Limited has taken a major step forward in boosting domestic rice production, launching an expansion of its commercial rice farming operations with a groundbreaking ceremony held at its Erap farm in Morobe Province on Wednesday. The expansion saw the farm grow from its 100 hectares in 2024 to 300 hectares in 2025, with plans to further scale up to 600 hectares by 2027. This initiative reinforces Trukai’s long-standing role as Papua New Guinea’s top rice supplier, having served the nation for over five decades. The company is majority-owned by Australia’s SunRice Group and locally owned through the Pacific Balanced Fund (PBF), which represents over 22,000 Papua New Guinean unit holders. The fund is managed by interim trustee Weathermen Capital Advisors. Trukai remains the only rice manufacturer in PNG actively investing in agricultural research and development. It works closely with local institutions like the Papua New Guinea University of Technology (PNGUoT) and Pacific Adventist University (PAU), aiming to build local expertise and strengthen rice farming across the country. The Erap farm plays a central role in Trukai’s efforts to enhance food security, promote climate-smart agriculture, and support rural development. The company continues to drive innovation in agribusiness, improve farm productivity, and support the resilience of local farmers. Trukai has already begun blending its first harvest of locally grown rice into its well-known Roots Rice brand, now available in markets nationwide. The expansion aligns with the government’s broader objective of establishing a modern and sustainable agriculture sector by 2030.