Denmark’s ambassador to Indonesia, Timor-Leste, Papua New Guinea and ASEAN, Sten Frimodt Nielsen, has highlighted the progress of the EU-funded EU-STREIT PNG Programme during a field visit to the Sepik region.
Together with EU ambassador Erika Hasznos, he visited cocoa and vanilla communities, processing facilities and rehabilitated infrastructure to observe how the initiative is supporting local farmers.
“I am very glad to see that this project has worked here,” said Erika Hasznos during the visit to Hambraure community.
Ambassador Nielsen said the programme’s influence extends beyond agricultural improvements. “The programme has had a true impact, not only through better crops but also by planting seeds of spirit, inspiration and innovation that communities, especially youth and women, now carry forward,” he said.
Farmers supported by FAO under the programme have adopted improved husbandry and post-harvest practices, resulting in higher-quality beans and more stable incomes. The delegation also visited restored rural roads and an upgraded cocoa nursery providing training and planting materials across the region.
The EU-STREIT PNG Programme is the EU’s largest grant-funded initiative in Papua New Guinea and aims to strengthen cocoa, vanilla and fisheries value chains while improving rural livelihoods.
Source: ReliefWeb
