Rumion Farmers ready to harvest 550 hectares of corn

The Rumion farmers of Umi in the Markam District of Morobe province have celebrated its first corn festival to harvest 550 hectares of corn, which will generate approximately K5 million.

Rumion General Manager David Domingo said they have worked in partnership with the Aridagin Land Group of Tumua in Markham, and this harvest is the biggest after three decades.

Mr. Domingo said that over three decades, their produce have been sold locally.

"It is because the company has been focused on producing only our grain requirement for the manufacture of feeds for our own piggery operation and sell to other business houses like Pelgens, Farmset, EBC but not on regular basis.

"Besides that, our cost of production could not compete with that of the US and South American countries because their farmers are highly subsidized by their government.

"We do not receive any kind of support from the government like tax-free importation of agricultural machineries and equipment and direct inputs of production like seeds, fertilizers, and agricultural chemicals.

"We are in the stage where we are investing in the irrigation system, and if proven feasible on our 50 hectare trial, we can expand the irrigated field devoted to corn farming," Domingo said.