Wewak, Papua New Guinea – A determined
group of vanilla farmers in Mandi Village, Turubu Local
Level Government (Wewak District, East Sepik Province), has
struck a major deal to export vanilla beans to a buyer in
Singapore. Supported by the EU-STREIT PNG Programme, over
200 farmers—including women and youth—are preparing
their first shipment.
Vanilla farming and exporting,
involving the second most expensive spice globally, hold
significant potential to boost rural household incomes,
foster economic prosperity, and strengthen the country’s
position in the global vanilla market. It provides vital
opportunities for thousands of smallholder farmers,
particularly in remote areas, enhancing community
resilience.
Comprehensive Support Lays
Groundwork for Success
These farmers,
operating under Mongs AgTrade Services Ltd, are among 40
farmers groups and cooperatives supported by the EU-STREIT
PNG Programme. Mongs AgTrade was one of the first groups to
benefit from comprehensive support, including
capacity-building trainings in areas like climate-smart
agriculture practices, essential inputs such as healthy
vanilla cuttings, innovative equipment and technology such
as vanilla solar dryer, and exposure to global tradeshows
for modern, climate-resilient vanilla production,
processing, and marketing provided by the
Programme.
Specifically, the group benefitted from the
distribution of healthy vanilla cuttings obtained from areas
identified as disease-free zones. These vines, treated in a
Programme-established sheds, were initially distributed to
62 core male and female farmers (100 cuttings each) and
subsequently shared with over 600 additional farmers in
surrounding communities.
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Furthermore, group members
also benefitted from crucial training and capacity-building
initiatives by the Programme covering agribusiness
operation, planning, and development, as well as group
dynamics, and gender and youth inclusion, strengthening
their overall enterprise development.
Enhanced
Farming Practices Deliver Quality and
Resilience
Farmers report significant
improvements on the ground as a result of applying the
skills and knowledge gained through the Programme.
Particularly after adopting new pollination techniques, they
are seeing their vanilla vines bearing more beans and
growing healthier than before. Female farmer Roselyn Wundu
highlighted a key benefit related to climate resilience:
“Rain was our biggest concern when it comes to pollination,”
she explained, “but after adopting the new pollination
technique, we experienced that the pollinated flowers could
withstand heavy rainfall and still be able to bear
beans.”
Thanks to these improvements, they have signed
a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with a new foreign
business partner that guarantees monthly exports. This
agreement will generate around PGK 100,000 (approximately
USD 25,000) annually, providing a direct and sustainable
income source for their community.
Connecting
PNG Vanilla to the Global Stage
The
opportunity arose when representatives from Mongs AgTrade
showcased their vanilla at the FHA Singapore Expo 2024,
where the participation was supported and coordinated by the
EU-STREIT PNG Programme. There, a Singapore-based company,
impressed by both product quality and the farmers’
innovative solar-drying method, decided to establish a
business tie with them.
The farmers acquired skills in
developing e-marketplace platforms (websites) and online
marketing through training delivered by the International
Telecommunication Union (ITU) as part of the EU-STREIT PNG
Programme, enabling them to effectively market their
products internationally. The group is now at the forefront
of digitalizing agriculture in their community, utilizing IT
skills imparted by the EU-STREIT PNG Programme to
effectively connect with international markets, as
demonstrated by the recent success in
Singapore.
According to Mr. Nicodemus Mainga, a
director of Mongs AgTrade Services, this business
partnership is a direct result of the group’s presence at
the Singapore Expo and their new online platforms. Mr. Nanda
Siri, the Programme’s Vanilla Production Officer, noted
that the cultivation, husbandry and harvesting skills along
with post-harvest techniques including vanilla solar dryers
provided by the EU-STREIT PNG Programme played a major role
in ensuring the beans met high quality
standards.
Leaders like Mr. Jerome Songi, another
director of Mongs AgTrade Services, say this deal would not
have been possible without the capacity-building and
technical support from the EU-STREIT PNG Programme. The
farmers are now looking ahead to securing more orders and
strengthening PNG’s presence in the global vanilla
trade—proof that determination, innovation, and
international collaboration can unlock new opportunities for
rural communities.
A Blueprint for Broader
Rural Development
The success of vanilla
farmers from Mandi Village is part of a broader agricultural
and digital transformation spearheaded by the EU-STREIT PNG
Programme. Initiated in 2021, this initiative has
significantly enhanced vanilla quality and market readiness
through climate-smart practices, digital skills training,
modern equipment, and the establishment of resource centres,
empowering local communities to access global markets
sustainably.
- For more details,
see:- EU-STREIT
PNG – Vanilla Dreams to Digital Realms - EU-STREIT
PNG – International Partners Recognize the EU-STREIT PNG
Programme as a Sustainable Development Model in Digital
Transformation - EU-STREIT
PNG – Sepik farmer represents Papua New Guinea as ‘Young
Innovator’ at World Food Day Event in
Thailand
- EU-STREIT
About the
EU-STREIT PNG Programme
The EU-STREIT PNG,
being implemented as a United Nations Joint Programme by
FAO, ILO, ITU, UNCDF and UNDP, is the European Union’s
largest grant-funded initiative in the country. It focuses
on boosting sustainable and inclusive economic development
in rural areas. This is achieved by FAO’s support in
enhancing economic returns and opportunities within cocoa,
vanilla, and fisheries value chains. Additionally, the
Programme strengthens and improves the efficiency of value
chain enablers, including access to ICT by ITU and digital
financial services by UNCDF. ILO also supports the
development of sustainable, climate-resilient roads and
other transport infrastructures while UNDP provides
renewable energy solutions. The Programme benefits two
provinces: East Sepik and West
Sepik.
