FAO Boosts Vanilla Farmers’ Association In PNG, Propelling Future Growth Through Peer-to-Peer Knowledge Exchange

Wewak, Papua New Guinea – The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), under the EU-STREIT Programme in Papua New Guinea, partnered with local agribusiness Mongs AgTrade Services Limited to bring together nearly 100 vanilla farmers, agripreneurs, and stakeholders from 40 farmer groups and agribusinesses across 10 districts in East and West Sepik Provinces for a farmer-to-farmer exchange in Mandi Village, East Sepik Province. Held in January 2025, the event aimed to strengthen knowledge-sharing and sustainability measures for the vanilla value chain actors, empowered by the FAO, beyond the EU-STREIT PNG Programme’s lifespan, facilitating the exploration of collaboration strategies for vanilla industry development in the Sepik.

Knowledge Exchange and Field Demonstrations

During the event, Mongs AgTrade—an agri-enterprise in Mandi Village supported by the EU-STREIT PNG Programme—showcased its success in exporting premium vanilla beans to overseas markets, illustrating how digital tools and services can broaden market access and highlighting achievements such as young women and men leveraging IT training from the Programme to secure buyers in Canada and Australia.

The Mongs AgTrade’s Chariman also explained how group’s 200 farmers pool their harvests with neighbouring villages to meet export requirements, receiving payments directly into individual bank accounts for transparency. Engaging discussions covered best practices in vanilla cultivation, processing techniques (including curing and drying), pest and disease control, and climate adaptation.

A field tour of Mongs’ vanilla plots offered firsthand demonstrations on vine management for higher yields. Participants observed how strategic planting and collaborative pest-control measures bolster resilience against climate impacts, underscoring the potential for sustainable vanilla production in Papua New Guinea’s Sepik region.

Key Priorities for Collective Growth

Despite varying levels of progress among farmer groups, there was broad agreement among participants on the need for an umbrella association to coordinate efforts. Attendees identified several critical agendas: Collaborative Production (partnering to meet export demand while maintaining uniform, high-quality vanilla), Market Competition (encouraging MSMEs to counter monopolies and improve local buying prices), Accessible Infrastructure (establishing buying points for remote communities, especially along the Sepik River), Peer-Led Training (continuing farmer-to-farme extension services under a unified network), and Disease Management (distributing treated vines via a regional association to tackle fungal diseases).

Voices from the Field

“The visit and interaction are an opportunity for value chain actors to connect directly to access knowledge through farmer-farmer communication,” said Mr. Nanda Siri, the FAO Vanilla Value Chain Officer who coordinated the meeting. He added: “It was also an opportunity for linkage and collaboration which can enable creation of possible joint business opportunities for vanilla value chain in the region and more importantly the continuation of the activities that the EU-STREIT PNG Programme has imparted to the farmer groups.”

For farmer leaders, the exchange created a sense of ownership. “The idea is that the farmers themselves must be connected to support each other when the project ends and this collaboration is a good start,” said Ms. Nancy Fale, who leads Kunai Oasis Women’s Business Group in Yangoru-Saussia District.

“We were operating on our own, so this farmer-to-farmer interaction is an excellent initiative where linkage and collaboration is formed to ensure sustainability of the activities when the programme ends, and vanilla development work can continue to progress,” added Ms. Maureen Mombi, a lead farmer from Hambini Village in Ambunti-Drekikier District.

Representing West Sepik, Mr. Gibson Inaiyo of Yagima Cooperative Society stated, “First I want to thank EU-STREIT for bringing us together here to interact with our colleague in the East. This interaction was an opportunity to listen and learn from other groups on how to address these challenges. This kind of collaboration which must continue is crucial to support ourselves after STREIT.”

Pathway Forward

Moving ahead, participants resolved to organize a regional Vanilla Value Chain Forum to establish a Greater Sepik Vanilla Farmers Association, strengthen local partnerships to scale production, adopt uniform processing standards, and develop a quality certification framework aligned with global markets. These collective efforts aim to ensure continued growth and resilience in the Sepik region’s vanilla industry well into the future.

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 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 and digital financial services. It also supports the development of sustainable, climate-resilient transport infrastructures and renewable energy solutions. The Programme benefits two provinces: East Sepik and West Sepik. 

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