Study shows big gap between plantation workers and depts

The National, Tuesday 19th June, 2012

THERE is a big gap between primary industries and appropriate government authorities, a case study has found. The study was undertaken in mid-2010 by a recent graduate from University of Natural Resources and Environment, Okrupa Mauro, while doing a six-month industrial training attachment with New Britain Palm Oil Ltd. He used field trips in 2011 and identified the same problems in other plantations in East New Britain, saying if NBPOL was facing such crises than other plantations were no exception. Failures identified include the absence of proper records from the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations offices around the country to provide accurate statistics on plantation labor welfare and productions for any plantation. The Department of Commerce and Industry kept statistics of exports but it is difficult to compare individual effort against production.

The study discovered that workers were overworked, woken up as early as 4.30am and finishing at about 6.30pm and strictly working 12-14 days a fortnight. Housing cubicle meant for a person is occupied by 1-4 young energetic employees, or it can be a family living there. Work pressure forced employees to move from certain locations to achieve targets so they did not prepare breakfast. No lunch at all and dinner was prepared between 7-9pm. On social status, it found from only one plantation, 70% of workers were total illiterates, 20% went as far as Grade 6 and only 10% went as far as Grade 8. None of them went as far as Grade 10 and there is a sense of arrogance and social discrimination between plantation laborers and managers.

Mauro raised concerns that if the country had vision for the future of primary industry development and agriculture export commodities, the economic value of labor input and if PNG could use industries raw data to measure and compare performances. Mauro said agriculture was more than just producing food and was a system that underpinned society, including our relationship with the environment

East Sepik province wary of cocoa pest

By CYRIL GARE

IT IS a ‘sitting duck’ situation in East Sepik with the invasion of the destructive Asian pest, the Cocoa Pod Borer (CPB) which is already at the farmers’ doorstep with nothing they can do to stop it. During a CPB awareness meeting at Kringring (Yuo) village along the West Coast of Wewak on Wednesday, villagers (cocoa growers) told the visiting East Sepik CPB management unit (ESCPBMU) team that they needed training and the knowledge to withstand the invading pest which has already devastated the East New Britain cocoa industry by some K50 million since it was first discovered in March, 2006. They said even if training was given, as in the recent past where private industry players like NGIP Agmark Ltd, DAL (Division of Agriculture and Livestock) and other line agencies have done so, important so was the need for “right tools” so that growers were able to treat their cocoa blocks efficiently.

ESP wary of cocoa pest.

Learning from the ENBP experience, East Sepik has awakened and has invested an initial K5 million for CPB management activities in the province for 2012. ESCPBMU manager Stephen Mombi said the approach would be different from the 2007-2008 operations where CPB was taken head on – confrontational, setting up check points, application of quarantine, spraying and similar other activities. “But all were of no good as the CPB not only withstood but over took new areas in spread,” Mr. Mombi said. So this time, the approach will be “to learn to live with it (CPB)” with the introduction and application of only three activities: CPB Awareness, Farmer Training (Block Management), and Supply of CPB Resistance Materials (clones). Awareness has begun at the eve of elections 2012 covering Turubu, Yangoru, Wewak islands, Maprik, Drekikir and now West Coast. In April 2012, the first batch comprising 16 cocoa farmers from around East Sepik attended training in CPB management at Tokiala, NGIP Agmark Ltd training facility. Four more batches would be deployed there during the year, according to Mr. Mombi. And already, plans are underway to set up butt wood gardens around selected spots in the province for supply of clones of CPB resistant materials to farmers.