Minister for
Agriculture and Livestock Puka Temu has strongly defended the Central province
rice project, which has been the subject of much controversy lately.
He said this in
response to criticisms in the media that landowners had been left out and not
informed about the project.
Sir Puka said
DAL, Central province administration and relevant government agencies had
conducted wide consultation and awareness for the project.
He said
government officers had conducted extensive awareness and consultation with landowners
and communities within Kairuku-Hiri district and would continue to do so.
Sir Puka said he
and other MPs from Central province, including Kairuku-Hiri MP Paru Aihi, had a
public meeting with Aroa people at Pinu village last October and witnessed the support
of the people for the project.
He said there
had been overwhelming support from people attended meetings conducted by DAL
and its stakeholders at Bereina station and the villages of Bereina, Inauaia,
Inaui, Agevairu, Pinu, Magabaira and Vanapa.
A land mobilisation
team comprising of officers from DAL and Lands Department also visited villages
in the Gabadi/Aroa, Roro and Mekeo areas.
A few villages are yet to be visited by the
team, however, there has been positive response from majority of the villagers,
who want the project to go ahead.
Sir Puka said
last month, the team visited North Mekeo area and spoke to people of Babagogo,
Waika, Apanaipi, Piuga, Ameisaka, Inaujina, Egefa, Maipa, Akufa, Ioi and Imouga,
who gave overwhelming support.
He denied claims
that he was treating the landowners as “fools”, as one newspaper letter writer
suggested.
“I have never in
my political life, regarded and treated any landowner as a fool, or someone one
can ignore in making decisions that require the use of their land,” Sir Pika
said,
“Indeed, with
the Central Province Commercial Rice Project (CPCRP), it is because of this,
and the need to have wider consultation and participation that we have
conducted extensive awareness and continue to do so for this project throughout
the Kairuku district.”
He said the rice
project was a major impact project in the agriculture sector that this country
had ever seen, and the Kairuku-Hiri district in particular was very fortunate
to have this project.
“When done
properly, this project will be highly beneficial to the local people, including
those who are criticising it right now,” Sir Puka said.
“In fact, I am
advised that in a day, an average of four to five landowners and local
villagers visit the CPRCRP office in Port Moresby, to either follow up on their
ILGs or to obtain more information about the project.”
He said so far,
landowners had already registered with the CPCRP office 44 existing ILGs and 44
new applications.
Of the existing
ILGs, 30 are those that were formerly under the Mekeo hinterland project, with
seven collected and 23 pledged to be handed in soon.
Notification has
been received of more ILGs to be brought in.
Sir Puka said
awareness and consultations on the project were continuing, together with land
mobilisation work which was now at the land investigation reports (LIR) stage.
In the meantime, DAL and the national project
steering committee progresses the work on a deed of agreement that is acceptable
for the State before it is signed with the investor.
Sir Puka
appealed to landowners and members of the public who have genuine concerns
about the rice project to seek information from the CPCRP office at DAL
headquarters and not to make misleading and incorrect statements in the media.
“I am always
available and willing to visit Kairuku-Hiri district to talk about the project
with our people and will certainly do so after the DAL and the project team has
done its work,” he said.
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