Rural Papua New Guinean Vanilla Farmers Secure Overseas Deal, Opening Path To Greater Prosperity

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.

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:
  1. EU-STREIT PNG - Vanilla Dreams to Digital Realms
  2. EU-STREIT PNG - International Partners Recognize the EU-STREIT PNG Programme as a Sustainable Development Model in Digital Transformation
  3. EU-STREIT PNG - Sepik farmer represents Papua New Guinea as ‘Young Innovator’ at World Food Day Event in Thailand

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.

© Scoop Media