- ExxonMobil PNG continues work on restoring food gardens for project impact areas
- Payaipa women’s group in Hides to grow and multiply seeds for supply
The work towards restoring food gardens for project impact areas that were affected by the earthquake continues with Payaipa women’s group in the Hides area of Hela Province identified to grow and multiply seeds for supply to the rest of the communities.
The women have been issued with sufficient quantities of open-pollinated green beans and Pakchoi seeds recently by ANU Enterprise (ANUE) as part of the community livelihood improvement program (CLIP) in partnership with ExxonMobil PNG, operator of the PNG LNG project.
ExxonMobil PNG’s community livelihood improvement program through ANUE will buy back the seeds from the women’s group once they are harvested and dried. The seeds will then be distributed back into the communities. This is part of ExxonMobil PNG’s long-term recovery plan for the communities.
“Re-establishing food gardens is an important step towards helping the communities recover from the disaster. We are pleased that ANUE is already executing this plan to help the communities,” said Andrew Barry, managing director of ExxonMobil PNG.
The Payaipa women’s group have been part of ExxonMobil PNG’s CLIP program since 2016.
“It was only fitting that we involved them because they have the skills and knowledge to grow the crops to generate seeds, said Timothy Geob, food and cash crops specialist of ANUE.
“We will be available to provide technical advice to the group to ensure they grow quality seeds,” he added.
ExxonMobil PNG is also providing support for the restoration of health care facilities and education services as part of its long term recovery plan.
The company is also assisting the government to build infrastructure and key roads and bridges for Hela and Southern Highlands provinces that were destroyed during the disaster.