Farmers in the Karimui district of Papua New Guinea walk for days just to bring their precious harvest to the airstrip for collection by MAF. Without delivery by plane, families would miss out on the income to sustain their communities.
Story by Aquila Matit
Vanilla is more than just a flavour for farmers in central Papua New Guinea’s mountainous Simbu Province - the sought-after commodity brings in the income to feed isolated people and support economic growth.
But it takes a long journey to bring vanilla to our tables in the form of sweet treats such as cakes and ice-cream. Growing and harvesting vanilla is a labour-intensive process, and the dangerous journey from farm to airstrip can take days.
Mopa Paleah, a father of four from the Karimui district of Simbu Province, leads the effort by local farmers to get their crops to buyers.
“We have 7000 to 8000 farmers in Karimui, many of us are subsistence farmers. We grow vanilla, each have 3000 to 4000 vanilla pods,” Mopa explains.
“Towards the borders of Eastern Highlands, one place they call Mengino, this place grows quality vanilla, and many farmers come from there.
“They walk for three days to get to Karimui. Sometimes, when the big rivers are flooded, ittakes some days to stay along the way and then travel. Sometimes they risk their lives crossing.”
Mopa explains what it means for the farmers in the remote region to get income for their work.
“I receive their vanilla and sell it,” he said, holding a heap of vanilla on the palm of his hand.
“I bring the farmers’ money back and they buy their salt, their cooking oil, whatever they need, and they go back home joyful.
“For me, I create a budget and some money I pay for my children’s school fee. Some of this money I save up. Whenever there is any emergency or if someone is in need and because I buy vanilla, I remove this money and give it to them to purchase their needs.
“The people in the bush bring their vanilla, I bring mine as well, and we go to the MAF plane.
“If the MAF plane never fly to this place full time, I think all our produce would be a waste.”
MAF pilot Brad Venter knows the importance of providing this economic lifeline to thefarmers of Karimui.
“This people have good vanilla, yet they have limited market space,” Brad said. “The more the vanilla remains with them it gets spoilt, so we look for buyers for them.
“As soon as there is one, we fly the vanilla to Goroka and sell it.”
The farmers rely on Mopa to sell their produce and he knows he can rely on MAF to deliver.
“The MAF pilots advise me whenever there is a buyer, and I inform the farmers,” Mopa said.
“The buyers pay, and the pilots bring the money in cash. I pay the farmers, and the work of vanilla pays off and blessing continues. “I see the hand of God through MAF’s mission, they do a good work serving us, regarding vanilla.”