UNRE K2.6million water project

Eight villages in Talasea, West New Britain province will benefit from three much-needed water supply systems that will be constructed by the University of Natural Resources and Environment (UNRE).

Valued at K2.6million, the Boko/Kintakiu, Waile/Bududawa and Nalebubu stand-alone water projects will serve villagers of Boku, Matenebubulu, Tanda, Mandebalele, Kintakiu, Wangalove, Nalebubu and Waile.

The projects will be funded by Lolokoru Landowner Company (LLC) and other stakeholders.

LLC is leasing more than 2,000 hectares of land to New Britain Oil Palm Limited on a lease-lease-back arrangement.

The university’s farmer training arm, Kairak Vudal Resources Training Centre (KVRTC) is in the forefront of implementing these projects.

KVRTC manager, Hosea Turbarat, said LLC initially requested the University to investigate the viability of establishing a water supply system to serve communities within the vicinity of the Lolokuru estate in 2009.

A preliminary feasibility study was conducted in November 2009 and this was followed by a full-scale study in December 2009.  

Turbarat said the presentation of the final study report and proposals that he and KVRTC component advisor (engineering) Francis Bonava made to LLC board of director representatives and management two weeks ago in Kimbe was received with overwhelming support.

According to the former East New Britain (ENB) administrator, the three water project proposals are a result of the university’s integrated agriculture training programme (IATP), which is coordinated by KVRTC.

“This is one of the outcomes of IATP training in WNB. It was realised that there is a need to make water accessible to village communities in and around various oil palm estates,” he said.

UNRE is no stranger to planning and constructing community water supply systems.

In New Ireland is the Boliu water project on Mussau Island which is now in use, with feasibility studies being carried out on Djaul Island and on the mainland.

In ENB, final documentation after detailed studies have been presented to clients on the following water projects: Topapai and Towabili water project in Bitapaka and Kokopo/Vunamani LLGs in Kokopo District; Malmaluan and Tanaka water projects in Central Gazelle LLG of Gazelle District and Warongoi water project in Sinivit LLG of Pomio District.

 

Beekeeping comes to East New Britain

By DOREEN TUNAMA

 

The Papua New Guinea Growers Association is happy to work with the PNG University of Natural Resources and Environment in piloting beekeeping in East New Britain province.

The association, with the assistance of Highlands bee coordinator Tella Loie, has brought 17 bee hives into ENB.

This was an initiative taken up the association as an alternate way of generating income for the farmers, especially those affected by the cocoa pod borer.

From the 17 hives, seven were bought off by farmers and 10 were distributed to various locations for monitoring adaptability, productivity and quality of honey from each hive.

One of the selected locations was Vudal, where two hives were put in the backyard of acting head of forestry Neville Howcroft (pictured above).  

Association technical officer, Phalson Palaru, who initiated the project and acquisition of the hives, will be monitoring the hives from time to time.

The project  bee hives were placed at locations selected on altitude,  climate, access to  honey flora, and where the hives’ success could be evaluated and compared and where students and farmers can have easy access to study the progress of the bee hives and learn about bee keeping and honey production.

The pilot project will be trialed for a year then recommendations, based on the evaluation of each hive’s production, will be made on the potential of the industry in the province.

The set up of the bee hives will enhance staff and students’ research and teaching.

At the same time, it will be used as a training facility for our farmers, through UNRE’s integrated agriculture training programme (IATP).

Apart from producing quality honey, bees also play a vital role in the cross-pollination of trees, food crops and flowering plants in general.

Their activities benefit food security and help address climate change problems by promoting genetic variation needed for natural selection and adaptation, as bees are natural pollinators and can range long distances.

 They are important pollen vectors between plant populations.

Loie said: “Highlands Honey Association cannot meet the local demand.

“We are only producing 50- 60 tonnes while 140-150 tonnes are yet to be produced to meet the local demand, so let us all work together  to produce to meet the growing local demand.”

Roz Savage and I

This is a picture of world-famous British woman rower Roz Savage and me after a talk she gave at the residence of the British High Commissioner in Port Moresby last night. Savage has been in Madang for the last six weeks, after her epic voyage from Kiribati to Madang, and travels to Malaysia today. Next year, she starts the Indian Ocean leg of her adventures, which is from Western Australia to Africa.Bon voyage, Roz, and may the winds be with you!

We are intact, says Prime Minister Minister

Minister Sir Michael Somare, appearing in public for the first time yesterday since reports of an impending vote of no-confidence motion by the opposition following a Supreme Court ruling nullifying sections of the integrity law, was on hand to receive a mock cheque for K36 million in dividend from Public Enterprises Minister Arthur Somare on behalf of the Independent Public Business Corporation. Sir Michael also challenged opposition leaders Sir Mekere Morauta and Bart Philemon to meet him at the polls in 2012, not via a no-confidence motion. -Nationalpic by JEFFREY ELAPA

 Prime Minister to opposition: Take me on at polls

THE team behind Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare appeared intact and in control yesterday, The National reports.

Appearing for the first time in a media engagement to receive a cheque for K36 million in dividend from Independent Public Business Corporation, Sir Michael issued the challenge to opposition leader Sir Mekere Morauta and his deputy Bart Philemon to take him on at the polls in 2012, and not through a vote of no-confidence.

The prime minister refused to take questions and did not elaborate, but it opened doors to speculations the PM may run again in 2012 and not quit politics.

Sir Michael said a lot of the allegations raised by the opposition in the last few days border on defamation.

Angoram MP Arthur Somare, who is Minister for Public Enterprises responsible for IPBC, was on hand to hand over the cheque.

Somare said there was nothing much to discuss on the current speculations and numbers game.

He said the National Alliance was intact and the prime minister had a job to do for the country and not bogged down by political speculations.

 “We acknowledge that there is no vacancy in government and absolutely no vacancy in the prime minister,” Somare said.

He said the NA was intact and was concentrating on doing the job in delivering to respective districts and the country.

Wabag MP and Foreign Minister Sam Abal said stability was crucial to lift social indicators and the prime minister was mandated to lead the country until 2012.

PAP leader and Minister for Commerce and Industry Gabriel Kapris stated that there was no need for a change as the government had been doing very well.

“I do not see any reason why people wanted change as this government has brought major projects including the LNG and Madang marine park development,” Kapris said.

United Party leader and Defence Minister Bob Dadae, in a separate statement, confirmed that his party supported the NA-led government and would not vote against Sir Michael in any vote of no-confidence.

The United Party has Northern Governor Suckling Tamanabae as its second MP in Parliament.

An opposition spokesman contacted last night said they were firming agreements with various factions in government despite what the leaders were saying.

“Whichever way you look at it, the government will change,” the spokesman said.

United Resource Party stands with Prime Minister

THE United Resource Party’s eight MPs have thrown their support behind Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare, ending speculation of a breakaway highlands bloc from within the coalition government, The National reports.

Party founder and Southern Highlands Governor Anderson Agiru, backed by Kagua-Erave MP James Lagea and Komo-Margarima MP Francis Potape, told a media conference yesterday that the Somare-Temu government would reign until 2012.

He said this when welcoming Lagea, who officially joined the party in a ceremony at the Gateway Hotel.

“With the intensity of activities in Southern Highlands, it is a milestone for the party to have one of its MPs joining us,” he said.

Lagea was formerly with the PNG Conservative Party.

Party leader and Petroleum and Energy Minister William Duma was not present at the conference because he was attending a National Executive Council meeting.

Agiru said with OLIPPAC ruled null and void by the courts, it gave Lagea the opportunity to join URP from his one-man party.

He also dismissed speculation that three of the party’s MPs – Eastern Highlands Governor Malcolm Kela-Smith, Environment Minister Benny Allan and Kerowagi MP Guma Wau – would join the opposition.

“URP stands for stability and now is the time for members to show integrity.

“URP will not decide in haste and will provide the cushion for political stability in the country,” he added.

Agiru said looking for 34 MPs was a tough job for the opposition, who had admitted that they did not have the numbers but were offering the prime minister’s job to anyone who could bring in the numbers.

“They are testing the waters and URP does not need to test the waters. URP is in government,” he said.

Lagea said he was privileged to join URP to ensure the Somare government served its term to 2012.

“There is no vacancy (for the prime minister) in PNG and we have a government in place until 2012,” he said.

Potape said the current government had been good, especially to landowners, and it was most important that it remained in power.

 

 

Gao hopeful about K40m for Ramu

MEMBER for Rai Coast Sane Gao said the people of Ramu will benefit from the K40 million “seed capital” the government would provide for them, The National reports.

He rejected suggestions that the money was compensation offered to the landowners to withdraw a case now before the court which halted work at the Ramu nickel and cobalt mine.

Since the National Court issued an injunction stopping work at the mine, the operators have become very concerned about financial losses they were suffering.

It is estimated they are losing K10 million a day.

The government wants to start the mine by the end of the year or early next year.

Its revenue is crucial to PNG’s economy, to fill the revenue hole that will be created by the closure of Ok Tedi.

Exports from the mine will also address balance of payment concerns created by the PNG LNG project.

Gao said the K40 million was business grants from the government agreed to in a memorandum of agreement.

He said the funds were for the Ramu nickel foundation and landowners from KBK, inland pipeline, coastal pipeline and the Basamuk area.

He said he was working hard to resolve this conflict “the Madang way” and he described this as a win-win situation.

He engaged Ricky Kumung to facilitate and mediate the dialogue between the state, the developer and the people led by Simon Melembo.

Gao said any further delay in the project would have adverse effect on the nation as the state was the signatory to the original mining agreement.

He said he also saw the need to have the mine continue as the tax credit scheme would help the infrastructure in Rai Coast and Usino-Bundi electorates.

He said the issue of environment was not isolated but was captured in the instrument to be signed tomorrow.

Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare also said during the presentation of the K36 million IPBC dividend payout to the state (see story separate story) said the money was not for compensation but was a seed capital for the people.

Meanwhile, Member for Usino-Bundi Samson Kuli applauded the people for the lead in pursuing the government to address their needs as they almost missed out.

He said such money should assist the people to venture into business and not to be mere spectators as the two electorates were the least developed in PNG.

Coffee berry borer may be in Papua New Guinea, warns scientist

By AUGUSTINE DOMINIC of CIC

The destructive coffee berry borer (CBB) is likely to be detected inside the Papua New Guinea side of the border with Indonesia and the government is being urged to allocate funds to contain it.

Coffee Industry Corporation’s acting general manager for research and grower services , Dr Mark Kenny, warned that the PNG coffee industry - which generates about K500 million annually for the country through export revenue - would crumble if the vicious insect was not contained and left the border areas for the major coffee-growing provinces of Eastern Highlands, Western Highlands, Simbu and Morobe.

Dr Kenny said that the full report of a joint delimiting survey currently initiated in the border areas by CIC and the National Agriculture Quarantine and Inspection Authority (NAQIA) would be completed by the end of July and it (report) would establish if CBB was present in PNG or not.

“The report will establish if CBB is present in the PNG side of the border or not, but upon preliminary findings, the presence of CBB is likely to be detected in the border areas,” he said.

“And if it enters the major coffee-growing areas of PNG, our coffee industry will be greatly affected in the similar manner in which the cocoa pod borer did to cocoa in East New Britain and other provinces.”

He said CBB had not been detected in the major coffee-growing provinces of PNG, according to a CBB survey report of Madang, Eastern Highlands, Western Highlands and Simbu provinces.

Dr Kenny said it would cost up to K10 million to contain the insect in the border areas of Telefomin, Vanimo Green and Vanimo districts and over K100 million to save the whole PNG coffee industry, mainly through carefully-executed coffee hygiene programmes inclusive of coffee rehabilitation, and also through rebuilding of the research and grower services division of CIC which is currently unable to perform its mandated function due to lack of government funding support.

 “Apart from other technical measures taken to address the CBB issue, a proposal to contain CBB is being prepared and will be submitted soon to the government for funding consideration,” he said.

Dr Kenny urged farmers to quickly report any sightings of holes in coffee berries to the CIC office in their respective province or telephone (675) 537 3511/3518 and fax (675) 537 3524.