Trukai Industries announced the commencement of its fifth batch of the Smart Farmer Program (SFP) at the Pacific Adventist University (PAU) just outside Port Moresby city yesterday. SFP is facilitated through a private-public partnership with Trukai Industries Agricultural Department, The PNG University of Technology (PNGUoT) and PAU. It is a 20-week program that consists of 2 weeks on campus training and 18 weeks demonstration to shift off knowledge at the farmer’s own locality. The program provides theory and practical assessment, building a strong knowledge base for farmers to be fully capable of transitioning from dry land farming to irrigation farming. Agricultural field teams from Trukai Industries visit the farmers village to assess their rice plots from the 18 weeks demonstration in which that assessment determines their qualification to graduate with a Certificate in Irrigated Rice Farming from either PNGUoT or PAU. It is one of the Trukai’s extensive agriculture programs that aims to enhance the well-being of the people of Papua New Guinea (PNG) by supporting local rice farmers with skills and knowledge to empower their families and communities. According to Trukai Industries Agriculture Manager, Aina Davis, SFP has now become accessible to all farmers nationwide as it is conducted in the 2 main centers in PNG, Port Moresby and Lae. “We have now seen an increased number of participants because of the accessibility of this training where participants can now choose their institutions of choice depending on their location and transportation accessibility.” “The first week of SFP will cover 3 modules, which are Introduction to Rice, Rice Environment and Irrigation Farming. By the last week of the program, participants should complete 3 modules and 4 on Rice Cultivation Cycle and Rice Farming Business and Management,” she added. More Papua New Guineans recognize the potential of local rice farming as they are taking proactive steps to boost economic prosperity and food security in which SFP is at the forefront of this transformation that equips farmers with the necessary tools and innovative techniques to improve their livelihoods through rice cultivation. Trukai Industries Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Alan Preston described the SFP as a commitment and partnership to support local rice farming and agriculture in PNG as a positive contributing impact back to the community. “Over the years, Trukai has invested millions of kina to develop the agriculture industry through research, our partnership with agriculture institutions, technical staff, training and infrastructure. 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 communities,” said Preston. Objective of SFP is to be able to train and develop local farmers to grow quality rice under irrigation conditions in which 538 farmers from 20 provinces have been trained so far. [caption id="attachment_60830" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Picture by Stellanie Steman Akop[/caption] A participant farmer, Mr. John Potol, said that he undertook the program at PAU in 2024, and was committed to making a lasting impact in his community with a vision to improve the lives of his people in his Local Level Government (LLG) where he has dedicated a hectare of land to irrigated rice farming, a decision made from gained knowledge through the SFP. Mr. Potol further stressed the knowledge and skills he gained from SFP in agriculture throughout his 2-week program and how it will be a contributing factor back to his community. “Throughout the two-week on campus program, I’ve gained an in-depth understanding of irrigated rice farming and the significant benefits it will bring to our community. This program has given me the tools to diversify my skills beyond cocoa farming and focus on addressing food security, creating jobs and generating wealth through rice farming,” said Potol. More than 150 farmers nationwide have registered to be a part of Trukai’s fifth batch of the SFP this January, after seeing successful impact and stories from former participants such as Mr. Potol. It is a holistic approach towards rice farming, initiated by Trukai Industries as an internship program for 24 model farmers who were selected from previous batches of SFP to undergo hands on training to become commercial farmers in which the training is to be conducted at Erap Farm in Morobe Province.