146
K. McKenna and L. T. Yakam
Beyond selling and buying produce, marketplaces in PNG are:
…important meeting places where people gather to see friends, hear the latest news, attend
court cases, play cards and be entertained…While marketplaces are places of trade, trade is
only part of what goes on in marketplaces. (Busse and Sharp 2019, pp. 126–7)
Places categorised under the term maket in Tok Pisin, the common language of PNG,
range in size and scale and include large urban marketplaces like that at Madang,
small clusters of sellers on roadsides and street corners (kona maket), and small
stores in the front of individual houses (haus market) (Busse and Sharp 2019). There
are many marketplaces in the Madang town centre, selling food, betel nut, tobacco,
bilums (string bags) and clothing. This paper focuses on the largest market in Madang,
the Madang Town Market.
Qualitative Interviews
14 market sellers participated in this research, 10 women and 4 men. Interviews
were conducted at market stalls while vendors sold produce and interacted with their
customers. Interviews were conducted by two researchers (one Australian and one
PNG national) together in English and translated synchronously into Tok Pisin.
Participants involved in this research came to the Market from a range of locations within Madang Province, as well as from the Western and Eastern Highlands
Provinces. Highlanders travel to Madang in search of higher prices for produce grown
in cooler climates, especially broccoli, cauliflower, potatoes and sweet potato. Two
main categories of sellers participated in this research: producers and re-sellers. Resellers buy produce from locations outside of Madang and/or purchase from bulk
sellers at the market gate. With the exception of those selling peanuts, most market
sellers trade a range of vegetables and fruits at their stalls.
The amount of income generated by market sellers varies according to types of
produce being sold and the level of demand. The lowest average reported income was
5–6 Kina (USD 1.44–1.73) per day by a woman selling coconuts only (Participant 1).
In contrast, the highest reported income was 500–700 Kina (USD 144.04–201.66) per
day by a man from Goroka (Eastern Highlands) who sells a wider range of products
including onion, carrot, ginger, beans, cabbage, pineapple, tomato, radish and lettuce
(Participant 11). Most participants reported incomes averaging 50–150 Kina (USD
14.40–43.21) per day. Broccoli and fruits (especially melon and rambutan) are the
most profitable items; “cabbage is also good, and it can be stored to sell for 2–3 days”
(Participant 4).
To analyse the interview data, the authors followed the four basic steps of thematic
data analysis outlined by Green et al. (2007): data emersion, coding, creating categories and identifying themes. As an emphasis on Christian beliefs emerged inductively from the data, the authors then reflected on existing literature related to
faith-based approaches to sustainability to inform the discussion.
K. McKenna and L. T. Yakam
Beyond selling and buying produce, marketplaces in PNG are:
…important meeting places where people gather to see friends, hear the latest news, attend
court cases, play cards and be entertained…While marketplaces are places of trade, trade is
only part of what goes on in marketplaces. (Busse and Sharp 2019, pp. 126–7)
Places categorised under the term maket in Tok Pisin, the common language of PNG,
range in size and scale and include large urban marketplaces like that at Madang,
small clusters of sellers on roadsides and street corners (kona maket), and small
stores in the front of individual houses (haus market) (Busse and Sharp 2019). There
are many marketplaces in the Madang town centre, selling food, betel nut, tobacco,
bilums (string bags) and clothing. This paper focuses on the largest market in Madang,
the Madang Town Market.
Qualitative Interviews
14 market sellers participated in this research, 10 women and 4 men. Interviews
were conducted at market stalls while vendors sold produce and interacted with their
customers. Interviews were conducted by two researchers (one Australian and one
PNG national) together in English and translated synchronously into Tok Pisin.
Participants involved in this research came to the Market from a range of locations within Madang Province, as well as from the Western and Eastern Highlands
Provinces. Highlanders travel to Madang in search of higher prices for produce grown
in cooler climates, especially broccoli, cauliflower, potatoes and sweet potato. Two
main categories of sellers participated in this research: producers and re-sellers. Resellers buy produce from locations outside of Madang and/or purchase from bulk
sellers at the market gate. With the exception of those selling peanuts, most market
sellers trade a range of vegetables and fruits at their stalls.
The amount of income generated by market sellers varies according to types of
produce being sold and the level of demand. The lowest average reported income was
5–6 Kina (USD 1.44–1.73) per day by a woman selling coconuts only (Participant 1).
In contrast, the highest reported income was 500–700 Kina (USD 144.04–201.66) per
day by a man from Goroka (Eastern Highlands) who sells a wider range of products
including onion, carrot, ginger, beans, cabbage, pineapple, tomato, radish and lettuce
(Participant 11). Most participants reported incomes averaging 50–150 Kina (USD
14.40–43.21) per day. Broccoli and fruits (especially melon and rambutan) are the
most profitable items; “cabbage is also good, and it can be stored to sell for 2–3 days”
(Participant 4).
To analyse the interview data, the authors followed the four basic steps of thematic
data analysis outlined by Green et al. (2007): data emersion, coding, creating categories and identifying themes. As an emphasis on Christian beliefs emerged inductively from the data, the authors then reflected on existing literature related to
faith-based approaches to sustainability to inform the discussion.