Thursday 6t May, 2020
Prime Minister Hon. James Marape, Co-Founder and Patron of the Sapotim Wantok Foundation, received three containers of food donated by the Lae Biscuit Company, valued at K200, 000.
Prime Minister, James Marape , thanking the Director of Lae Biscuit Company, John Chow for the Donation.
The Prime Minister thanked the Board and Management of the Lae Biscuit Company for their support in this challenging times and assured them that their contributions will go to those in need.
He said that in this trying times, K200, 000 was like taking away a big part of any companies profit margin, and he thanked the Lae Biscuit Company for coming forward despite the hard times caused by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
Mr Marape reiterated his call to Papua New Guineans to go back to agriculture because that is where money and food security are for a family, community, district, province and the country. “Lae Biscuit Company makes their noodles using cassava starch from cassava grown by the people of Morobe Province. “That is an opportunity right there to make money by growing cassava and selling it to the company to make money for yourself and your family.” The Prime Minister also extended his appreciation to all the other business houses who have come forward to assist this worthy cause despite the hardships their businesses are facing due to COVID-19.
In another donation event last month, Prime Minister Marape revealed that when people go into farming and sell their produce in the market, that farmer can earn more in a fortnight compared to a person who has a formal job and earns a regular fortnightly salary. The Prime Minister used the analogy of a banana farmer that selling one bunch of banana for K15 at the market.
“If that farmer sells 10 bunches of banana for K15 each day, the farmer will make K150 in one day, in seven days, he/she will make K1050, in a fortnight, he/she will earn K2,100, and if he/she maintains this for a year/the farmer will make about K54, 750,” Mr Marape said. Mr Marape said that K54, 750 was tax free and there were no additional expenses apart from freight to bring the banana to the market, because that banana was grown on the farmers own land.