Botanical Resources Australia Pty Ltd

Papua New Guinea Project

The highlands of Papua New Guinea (PNG) were once one of the world’s major producers of pyrethrum. The crop was introduced there in the 1950s, and up to 300 tonnes a year were being produced by the late 1980s, but since the pyrethrum extraction plant closed in 1995, the industry had all but disappeared.
In 2006, the Enga Provincial Government and the PNG Government approached BRA with the proposition that that the company collaborate in the revival of the PNG industry. It was an unusual commercial proposal: assist pyrethrum growers in PNG’s highlands to improve the quantity and quality of their crop – and then buy their pyrethrum.
“The government of PNG was looking for a new cash crop for the country’s highland people,” says BRA’s Manager of Planning and Logistics, Bill Casey, who is managing the BRA-PNG collaboration. “A lot of work had been done on pyrethrum a long time ago, but knowledge had since been lost.” With the help of an Australian Federal Government grant through the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) and support from the PNG Federal Government, BRA agreed to assist in re-commercialising the industry.
The project began on the ground in 2007 with improvements to the Enga Province processing factory and a refurbishment of the plant laboratory. Production modelling and training of new extraction and field staff was also provided, as well as a major investment in the infrastructure of the industry in this remote region: everything from camping equipment to motorbikes to pickup trucks to collect the flowers.
PNG’s highlands are perfect pyrethrum-growing country. “Temperatures range from 22-24 degrees centigrade each day to a minimum of 14 degrees at night,” says Bill Casey, “and it rains at 4.30 every afternoon – you can set your watch by it.” The lack of seasonality means pyrethrum is picked year round. The flowers are hand harvested here - mainly by women – and some 50 tonnes of pyrethrum flowers made up the total 2008 harvest.
“The industry has increased 30% since 2006,” says Bill, “and eleven thousand people are now involved in growing pyrethrum in PNG. This is the only cash crop that most families have, so growing pyrethrum allows small land holders to make money for basics: medicine, cooking oil, salt, and of course for their children’s education.”
In December 2010, BRA will receive the fifth shipment of oleoresin extract from PNG, and now has plans to work with the PNG government to build a new extraction plant in Laiagam near the highland growing areas in coming years.
“This collaboration has been good for BRA and for PNG,” says Bill Casey. “It gives us a chance to be good corporate citizens, expands our access to pyrethrins for refining, and gives PNG a viable agricultural industry which benefits some of its poorest farmers – a win-win situation for us all.”

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