Communities benefiting from the three agriculture feeder roads upgraded and rehabilitated under the PNG Agriculture Commercialization and Diversification (PACD) Cocoa Project have taken proactive steps to maintain and protect the vital infrastructure.

As the road works neared completion, community members received road maintenance training facilitated by the PACD Project Management Unit’s Road Maintenance Training Specialist Mr Rolly Vuvul.

According to Mr Vuvul the training focused on three key areas: routine maintenance such as grass cutting and drain cleaning; periodic maintenance including pothole patching; and emergency maintenance to address unexpected road damage.

“Community members were encouraged to take responsibility for maintaining the roads to ensure their longevity, particularly as many other rural areas across the country continue to face challenges accessing basic road infrastructure.”

During a recent visit to the community PMU confirmed that maintenance schedules have already been established. The benefiting communities have already organised themselves and put schedules for their community work on the roads.

In East New Britain Vunapalading road, lead farmer Steven Liai said the community had agreed to conduct road cleaning activities on the first day of every month, a practice they began last year.

“We are truly thankful. We have struggled for many years without a proper road, and we consider ourselves privileged to have this access,” Mr Liai said. “The contractor, Covec Limited, has supported us by donating five grass cutters. We have organised ourselves into five groups to clean and maintain the road.”

Community members routinely cut grass, clean roadside drains, remove rubbish and clear weeds. Road maintenance activities are treated as collective community work, with strong participation from all members to ensure the road remains in good condition.

Meanwhile Senior Engineer Raymond Paulias highlighted that lessons learned from previous projects highlight the importance of community ownership.

He said that more than 10 feeder roads were upgraded under the former Productive Partnerships in Agriculture Project (PPAP), but project monitoring revealed many had fallen into disrepair due to a lack of maintenance.

“These feeder roads represent a significant investment in rural connectivity, supporting market access, education, health services and economic development. Their deterioration due to insufficient maintenance remains a serious concern.”

Mr Paulias emphasized that immediate and sustained maintenance efforts are essential, and that long-term success depends on strong partnerships between communities, district administrations and provincial authorities to protect these critical assets.