NCS Fresh Food Depots
July 24, 2009 by sue
Fresh is Best with WFP and KFF
Fresh produce for NCS Sites, from NCS Businesses
One of the benefits to the communities surrounding mining and development sites are the many spin-off business opportunities available to supply quality goods and support services to the sites.
NCS works closely with the Landowners and local communities to ensure that those who are prepared to work hard to make the best of these opportunities can earn a good income.
Two examples of successful Landowner businesses are Wau Fresh Produce (WFP) in Wau and Kumul Fresh Foods (KFF) in Kainantu. Both of these businesses supply fresh produce to NCS Projects all over PNG, and are managed as part of the NCS family of businesses for respective landowner groups in Hidden Valley and Kainantu.
The businesses provide a market link between the local farmers in the community and NCS projects. They mobilise local farmers to grow and sell back to the business, the fresh produce required. In effect, these businesses redistribute mining benefits to people in the community by providing an opportunity for work.
WFP team sources fresh fruit and vegetables from growers and farmers within the Wau area and the Bulolo District of Morobe Province. The project currently supplies 7 ton of fresh produce each week to NCS sites including Hidden Valley, Unitech campus in Bulolo and Wau National Small Scale Mining Training Center.
We grow: kaukau, taro, banana cooking, banana eating (ripe), pumpkin, potato, lettuce, cabbage English, cabbage Chinese, pak choy, (varieties) saladeer, beans french, beans snake, beans dwarf, carrot, capsicum, tomato, choko tips, choko fruit, egg plant, onion spring, parsley, cucumber, zucchini, leek, ginger, silver beet, lemon, passion fruit, sugar fruit, orange, mandarin, water melon, mango, pawpaw.
“Part of the satisfaction of working with NCS in this business is that we support NCS Projects and provide income earning opportunities for the local farming community.” Said WFP NCS Project Manager Lydia Waengo
“Our job at WFP is to make it all run smoothly.” she continued “Some of the challenges they face include the sheer logistics of getting produce to market. PNG’s roads are unpredictable at the best of times!” she said.
It’s a similar operational model with KFF who supply 17 ton of fresh produced weekly supplying NCS projects in the Kainantu region as Unitech in Lae and up to Lihir Island. KFF employs local people and purchase produce from Kainantu, Hagen, Goroka, Chimbu and the Markham Valley.
July 2009
