By Vicky Baunke
The Eastern Highlands Provincial Government is encouraging rice farming in the province, in partnership with the Chinese government JUNCAU technology.
Eastern Highlands Governor Simon Sia said, one hectare of rice field has the potential to feed a family for 12 years and this can save on the costs of living.
According to experts from the China Aid Juncau Upland Rice project to PNG, Rice can be a cash crop for PNG that can save more than K500m in imports annually for the country.
Juncau Upland Rice Project Manager Professor Lin Yingxing explains that a hectare of rice field can produce almost 8 tonnes of rice in a harvest and that is twice the amount among the rice producing nations in the world.
According to experts from the China Aid Juncau Upland Rice project the Golden Mountain No 1 Rice variety was identified to be used in the project in the Goroka soils suitable to the climate and environment.
Juncao technology was first introduced into PNG from China in 1997 after a team led by the inventor of Juncao and upland rice technology, Prof. Lin Zhanxi from Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, visited EHP and afterwards established the first pilot base in Lufa District of EHP in 1998.
In 2018, a new deal was signed between PNG and China to further deepen the cooperation in the Juncao Technology Rice project.
According to the Project Manager professor Lin Yingxing Juncao, technology was invented to help China’s rural areas to feed families and fight off poverty which had an impact in many families.
Eastern Highlands Governor Simon Sia said the project will be receiving the full support of the provincial government under his leadership.
Mr Sia said it is a very impressive project with a very good team of technical experts from China supporting, that will be a boost economically and agriculturally for the province.
Mr Sia said he saw great potential in the project coming from a background where his parents were farmers and the experiences of harvesting rice using bare hands without the use of any technology or machines unlike today.
Sia said, the province has a big land mass and wants to encourage locals especially young people to be engaged in agriculture and farming activities that can benefit families and help locals to be economically independent.
He said the interests of the people comes as a priority as Governor, besides business and rice farming has a big potential in the province to meet the demands of food supply and encourage farmers to engage in rice farming also.
Sia says the China Aid Juncau Upland Rice project in Eastern Highlands will receive the full support of the Eastern Highlands Provincial government as an investment in agriculture to encourage more rice farming activity in the province among locals.
