Coffee growers make history in Milne Bay

Source: The National, Monday, April 15, 2013

By MALUM NALU

History was made in Alotau, Milne Bay, last Friday when 55 coffee growers from remote areas of the province completed a weeklong course in basic husbandry practices, agronomy, harvesting, and processing techniques.

Historic, in that Milne Bay is not known for coffee production, although Arabica and Robusta coffee grows well in high altitude areas of Alotau, Esa’ala, Kiriwina-Goodenough, and Samarai-Murua.

Its coffee production is currently zero, although it is known that a small number of people do grow coffee and sell in Lae, but this is not counted as Milne Bay coffee.

 

The 55 Milne Bay coffee growers with provincial administration and CIC officers after graduation last Friday.-Pictures by MALUM NALU

The training, funded by Milne Bay administration, was organised by its division of agriculture and livestock, facilitated by the Coffee Industry Corporation (CIC), and conducted at Bubuletta agriculture station outside Alotau.

The 55 growers, from 16 cooperatives throughout the province, also received pulpers, saws, secateurs, and tarpaulins and challenged with the task of cultivating a hectare of coffee each and putting Milne Bay in the same league as the Highlands provinces.

“Today is an important day for Milne Bay province,” provincial agriculture advisor James Duks said at last Friday’s graduation.

“Coffee is not a crop that can only be grown in the Highlands.

Duks..  'coffee is not a crop that can only be grown in the Highlands’

“It can also be grown in the coastal provinces.

“In Milne Bay, coffee is in fact, one of the most-important crops for the high altitude people.”

Duks said the Milne Bay administration, through its integrated provincial development plan (IPDP) featured coffee as an important crop to promote and develop.

“We want to see coffee production increase to 100 tonnes, but what is the first step towards achieving that?

“The first step towards achieving any productivity is training, empowering our growers, empowering our small men and women who grow coffee in the high altitude areas.

“The set of skills you have learned is the same sort of skills people in the Highlands have acquired.

“Your community will be looking at you to lead them/”

“We (provincial administration) are committed to coffee in Milne Bay province.

“As long as the government gives us funds, we will continue to support coffee and we will want to see more extension patrols.”

Acting chief executive officer of CIC, leading coffee scientist Dr Mark Kenny, said history was indeed being made in Milne Bay.

A historic day for Milne Bay…Dr Kenny with pioneer Milne Bay women coffee growers Lina Tutuna (Kaneo Cooperative, Daga LLG, Alotau), and Beatrice Alwyn (Kutu Cooperative, Daga LLG, Alotau) last Friday.-

“This is the first such graduation in the coastal areas that I’ve attended,” he said.

“All the other graduations that I’ve attended have been in the Highlands.

“If it wasn’t for coffee, we wouldn’t be gathering here today.

“It’s all because coffee has united us, and I think coffee can unite PNG.

“Coffee is grown all over PNG, in fact 16 provinces, so I think that this is one crop that can unite PNG.”

Government to take ownership of Ok Tedi mine in 2014

Source: The National, Monday, April 8, 2013

By MALUM NALU

Prime Minister Peter O’Neill says the government will take ownership of the Ok Tedi mine as of January 1, 1014, but management will remain.

He made this clear at a press conference last Friday to announce a restructure of all state-owned petroleum and mining assets, and state-owned entities (SOEs).

“We will take possession of the mine,” O’Neill said.

“The mining lease has already expired on March 31 (2013).

“We have extended it to get our house in order, but the ownership of the mine will be transferred to Papua New Guinea on the first day of January, 2014.”

O’Neill said BHP Billiton gave the mine as a “gift” to the people of Western province and Papua New Guinea, however, that never was the case as BHP retained control of the mine through PNG Sustainable Development Program (PNGSDP) Ltd.

“BHP gave that (mine) as a ‘gift’ to the people of Papua New Guinea and Western province, but the ‘gift’ never really happened,” he said.

“Some of us are starting to discover that now, so it’s easy if you read my article (published in the papers last week), to digest what’s the real story.

“We have made a terrible error, and I’m the first one to admit that.

“We have to correct the situation.

“I think it’s in the best interest of all Papua New Guineans that we are allowed to go down the road to take over ownership.

“We are not trying to take over management.

“I’m the first to acknowledge that I have no knowledge of running a mining company.

“The management will continue to manage, we’ve already had discussions with them, but the ownership must go to where it was intended: that was that it was intended to be a gift to the people of Papua New Guinea.

“I have never seen anywhere else in the world where a gift is controlled by someone who’s already given it.

“All we are trying to do is do the right thing.

“Whether they come to the party or not is irrelevant.”

O’Neill said pollution of the Fly River was “unacceptable”.

“This is unacceptable in any country,” he said.

“What the government should have done was to help the landowners to go and seek damages and sue BHP in a court of law that our landowners were pursuing.

“But what has happened has happened.

“I don’t want to rewrite history.”

PM spells out IPBC's job

By MALUM NALU

Prime Minister Peter O’Neill says Independent Public Business Corporation (IPBC) has not delivered its core mandate since its inception in 2002.

“IPBC was created for a specific purpose and not to be involved in risk taking commercial ventures, and the financing of the LNG project through IPBC is an example of how this entity’s conduct has strained the state’s resources, and incurred additional costs to the state,” he said.

“The restructure of IPBC will ensure that the focus is on rehabilitation through a public private partnership for our state owned businesses like Air Niugini, Eda Ranu, PNG Power and PNG Ports Corporation so the delivery of the services they provide improves at a cost affordable to our people.

“This is the mandate of IPBC.”

Under the restructure, a trust created will be known as the Kumul Trust.

The serving prime minister will hold a special share called the Kumul Share (having veto power), while all the former prime ministers will jointly hold an ordinary share.

“By having our former prime ministers as shareholder/trustees, we will be drawing from their wisdom and vast experience,” O’Neill said.

“I’m confident this structure will have political and commercial integrity.”

The Kumul Trust will be managed by independent and highly professional managers.

“Today’s announcement delivers on my commitment that the government’s investments, on behalf of the people, will be managed in a transparent, competent and accountable way,” O’Neill said,

“I’m certain these changes will be welcomed by the people of Papua New Guinea, and especially landowners in resource development areas.

“I’m also certain they will be welcomed by companies we are partners with in the development of our mining, oil and gas resources.”

O’Neill said all staff of Petromin and IPBC would be redeployed to the new entities, and would not suffer any loss of entitlements.

He said legislations to give effect to the new structure were now being prepared for parliament to approve.