From PAUL OATES
DURING A RECENT farmers' tour to Greece and Turkey I observed a number of social impacts affecting both countries that Papua New Guinea could learn from.
The European Union (EU) recently offered large subsidies to Greek farmers to grow cotton and so compete with other non-EU cotton producers.
Many farmers turned to cotton in preference to their normal food crops.
But cotton needs a lot of water and Greece is mostly a very dry country.
So when it started to import fresh food because it was not growing enough itself, the cotton subsidies were discontinued.
Lesson: Only crops suitable for the local conditions and local consumption should be encouraged. Perhaps the broad acre farming of oil palm in PNG should be reviewed to see who will benefit from this activity in the long run.
With 73 million people, Turkey is a very populous country with 50 per cent of its people involved in primary production.
Since every farmer traditionally wills his farm to his children, as the rural population has increased, each farm has become smaller.
Now many farms are unviable.
Increasingly, young people are moving to the cities to find employment away from the hard work on the land.
Yet they still own small unproductive acreages - good food producing land standing idle or growing weeds.
The Turkish government has just passed a law that only those people who farm can inherit land.
There will soon be a larger drift of young, unskilled people to the cities.
These people will need retraining and new employment opportunities.
Yet the current government does little planning.
Lesson: Planning will help PNG when rural small holdings become unviable and there is a larger drift of young people to the cities. Training and new employment activities must be planned now to absorb this future labour force.
Both Greece and Turkey are much sought after tourist destinations.
Both are situated in a very volatile part of the world and every time there is strife, tourism slumps dramatically.
Neither country can control its neighbours and economic activities can be severely affected by what goes on next door.
Lesson: Don't become dependent on just one big export earner, especially if it may be directly influenced by another country. In other words, 'Don't put all your eggs in one basket'. Now why did I immediately think of LNG?
Sunday, August 08, 2010
Saturday, August 07, 2010
On a wing and a prayer: a tribute to the late Captain Christopher Caines
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| Captain Christopher Kaines...two years on, his plane crash is shrouded in mystery |
By MALUM NALU
Chris Karma Kaines, from Gassam village on Siassi Island
Today, his two wives, Betty Komes and Betty Kuyei; four young children, daughters Emerald,
Answer and Story (born from Kuyei) and son Chris Kaines Jr (born from Komes); family and many of us friends are still waiting for answers about his death.
There are several unanswered questions as to the flight plan
given to the Civil Aviation Authority, the air worthiness of the Cessna, why
the operator has disappeared since the death of Chris, is there any truth that
Chris was carrying mercury and a large amount of money when he crashed, and
many more, including questions on the involvement of certain groups and
individuals.
Reporters probing the crash hit a brick wall at CAA
when trying to get information on the crash.
Chris was a very
experienced aviator, whose feats are the stuff of legend, including busting gun
smuggling operations in Western province with police, once landing on the
Hiritano Highway when his engine failed, who in 2006 year flew a private plane
from the USA to PNG, and whose ambition in life was to buy his own plane and
run a charter operation.
His best friends were
from Butibam village in Lae, and he grew up with us in the 70’s and 80’s,
played with us, and drank with us as we were all one family until his tragic
passing.
His best mate was fellow pilot and school mate, Sao Maliaki,
from Butibam and who flies for Airlines PNG.
We will always remember this athletic, handsome and easy-going
young man who had a huge passion for life.
I remember flying with him once to remote Kabwum in the
mountains of Morobe in 1994, and despite the weather and mountains, Chris’s
good humour kept me going all the way.
That was the nature of the man.
Chris Kaines was born at Minj in the Western Highlands
province but grew up at Mendi in Southern Highlands ,
His father was a police sergent from Siassi while his mother
was from Iokea village in the Gulf province,
Chris was a very experienced aviator.
After his training in a private flying school in Australia
He flew for various charter operators in PNG.
Once, he ran into engine trouble and landed somewhere near Yule Island Hiritano Highway
When police needed an aircraft and a pilot to bust a
gun-smuggling operation in the Western province side of the border, they were
recommended Chris as the pilot and they still speak highly of that operation
and the skills of the pilot.
He had a stint with Rimbunan Hijau during which time he flew
regularly between Port Moresby
“Chris was a very adventurous person,” said his
brother-in-law Newman Cuthbert, who delivered the eulogy at his funeral service at Marimari Lutheran
Church in Port
Moresby
“He never joined Air Niugini or a commercial airline because
he wanted to be in command of his own aircraft.
“He was not cut out to cart passengers but was attracted by
the prospect of flying into remote locations and challenged the dangers of the
weather and dangerous terrain of PNG head on.
“Chris always told my missus - his sister - when she told
him time and time again of her concern of him operating small aircraft in
remote locations: ‘Big sis I know what I am doing’.
“Danger and death was the most remote thing on all our minds
for Chris.
“He had a lot of friends - those he grew up with and kept
close to his roots.
“When logging was introduced to Siassi and as part of a
family of principal land owners, Chris expressed concern about illegal logging
and made it known at family discussions that the family members at home should
never be manipulated by foreign logging companies but should benefit.
“‘We must receive our share of royalties but our old people
must benefit before their time is up’ he used to tell missus.
“The father passed away two years ago and Chris flew his
body home to Siassi.
“As a child he loved adventure movies like cowboys and
Indians, and if there was something that looked complicated, he wanted to know
what made it work.
“Recently, with another pilot friend, he took delivery of an
aircraft from the USA
“His ambition was to buy his own plane and operate a charter
company.
“He wanted the family and clan involved and we were all in
the process of looking at that prospect.
“His best friends came from Butibum.
“He grew up with them, played with them drank with them and
it was his other family.”
In fact, the last time I met him was in May 2008,
shortly after the death of my wife, during which time he passed his condolences
and told me that I must be strong for my children.
He reminisced with us from Butibam that night, over a couple
of beers, about his many adventures all over the country as a pilot, including Bougainville during the crisis.
For one thing, all of us Chris’s mates from Butibam and Lae,
now that he died doing what he loved best.
Rest in Peace, old buddy!
Friday, August 06, 2010
Papua New Guinea government and World Bank to sign agreements for rural projects
By SOLDIER BURUKA of DAL
The Government of PNG and the World Bank will sign two loan agreements worth over K100 million for rural development projects.
The signing ceremony for the agreements for financing two projects that have significant merits in supporting smallholder agriculture and telecommunications services in the rural areas of PNG will take place on Monday (August 9).
Minister for Finance and Treasury, Peter O’Neill, representing PNG government, and Ferid Belhaj, Country Director, Timor Leste, PNG and
The World Bank funds will finance the Productive Partnerships in Agriculture Project (PPAP) and the Rural Communications Project (RCP) both of which aim to improve the livelihoods of remote rural communities.
PPAP will assist farmers in adopting improved farming practices, facilitate relationships between smallholder farmers and agribusiness and provide critical infrastructure for market access.
The project will focus on areas dependent on cocoa and coffee productions including East New Britain, Autonomous Region of Bougainville, Madang, East and West Sepik, Morobe, Eastern Highlands,
RCP will provide access to telecommunications in Simbu and
It is expected that more women and youth will benefit from improved access to communications, including for income-generating opportunities.
More coffee being airfreighted in Papua New Guinea
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| Coffee farmers from Owena in the remote Obura-Wonenera district of Eastern Highlands province loading parchment coffee bags onto a Missionary Aviation Fellowship (MAF) plane to take to Aiyura |
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| Parchment coffee bags being unloaded from an MAF plane at Aiyura airstrip, owned and operated by the Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL) |
By AUGUSTINE DOMINIC of CIC
The volume of coffee being air freighted into major markets in Goroka and Kainantu from very remote areas in the Eastern Highlands and Simbu Provinces
Since the demise of the renowned ‘green revolution’ in 2002, which pledged much hope for improved air freighting of coffee from remote areas into major markets in towns, the re-conceived FSS concept is picking up momentum and has gained much popularity among remote farmers.
CIC’s FSS officer Paul Gilma said that the scheme was developed in 2003 after the fall of the ‘green revolution’ and till 2009, the scheme had airfreighted over 760, 000 kg (about 15, 000 bags) of parchment coffee from various remote areas of the two provinces.
The total volume airlifted in 2009 from remote areas like Pinero, Negabo, Nomane, Karamui, and Appa in Chimbu and Maimafu, Andakombe, Simbari, Tuvau, Marawaka, and Owena in Eastern Highlands provinces was 52, 663kg and he predicted that with much awareness of the scheme, the volume would reach 90, 000 kg this year.
Gilma said there was more volume of coffee being airfreighted out from the remote areas into towns but the volumes revealed were only the figures of CIC recorded through the FSS programme.
“The overall objectives of the FSS is to provide effective and efficient coffee freight program to promote, support and develop a sustainable coffee industry in PNG which will maximise financial returns to all coffee producers and contribute to the government’s economic and social policy goals focusing on rural development and poverty alleviation”, he said.
He said more government funding would be needed to boost the provision of this much-needed service to other coffee-growing provinces in PNG because currently, the limited funding available was only being recycled in EHP and Simbu provinces.
Gilma said farmers in Morobe and Madang province were advised to approach the CIC office in their provinces to access the coffee freighting service because some money had already been deposited with North Coast Aviation and Islands Airways operating respectively in each province to serve them.
He explained that the freight scheme paid the freight cost upfront for the farmers and once the farmers sold their coffee they only repaid the freight cost and get remainder.
“Many farmers have expressed great satisfaction for the freight service provided by CIC than similar service provided by private organisations and individuals, as they gain more income,” Gilma said.
InterOil signs JVOA with Mitsui
INTEROIL Corporation announced on Wednesday, August 4, that a Joint Venture Operating Agreement ("JVOA") for the Company's proposed Condensate Stripping Plant ("CSP") has been finalised with Mitsui & Co., Ltd. ("Mitsui").
The JVOA sets out the rights and obligations of the participants of the joint venture to develop a CSP at InterOil's Elk and Antelope field site in
The JVOA replaces the preliminary joint venture works agreement announced in April 2010.
InterOil and Mitsui also executed an Option Deed. After reaching final investment decision on the CSP, Mitsui has options to acquire interests of up to a 5% in the Elk and Antelope fields and in the liquefied natural gas (LNG) Project on equal terms, yet to be determined, to those agreed with a future industry partner, as follows:
1. After mechanical completion of the CSP, Mitsui has a right to convert its contributed investment in the CSP into a 2.5% interest in the Elk and Antelope fields and the proposed LNG Plant.
2. Mitsui also has conditional rights under a separate call option to purchase an additional 2.5% interest in the Elk and Antelope fields and the proposed LNG Plant.
Certain regulatory approvals will be required from the
Joint Venture Operating Agreement
Under the JVOA, InterOil and Mitsui will each have a 50% ownership stake, before the State of Papua New Guinea's statutory right to acquire up to 22.5% in the CSP. An InterOil subsidiary is the operator under the joint venture. InterOil expects that the CSP will be designed to process approximately 400 million standard cubic feet per day (mmscf/day) of wellhead gas with an anticipated yield of approximately 9,000 barrels (bbls) of condensate per day. Dry gas may be reinjected into the reservoir for storage depending on the timing of the development of the proposed LNG Plant. The condensate is expected to be barged to the InterOil refinery inPort Moresby for processing and sale.
The wells and condensate transport from the CSP (located approximately 30 km southwest of the fields adjacent to the
Final Investment Decision by the JVOA partners is expected by the end of March 2011, following completion of engineering and design work, financing agreements and further regulatory approvals. The CSP facilities are projected to be operational no later than mid-2013. In the event that a positive Final Investment Decision is not reached or made, InterOil will be required to refund Mitsui's capital expenditure incurred within a specified period and the option and conversion deeds will be terminated.
Phil Mulacek, Chief Executive Officer of InterOil, commented: "Since April, front end engineering and design studies have been ongoing and we have now concluded certain definitive agreements with Mitsui for the CSP and Mitsui's right to acquire up to 5% in the Elk and Antelope fields and the proposed LNG project. We welcome Mitsui as our partner, and are very pleased with the progress made in the development of our CSP, which we expect will enable us to monetise our Elk and Antelope liquid resources. This is a key step in the monetisation of our natural gas resources through LNG."
Farewell Sir Brian
By ALISON ANIS in The National
TEARS flowed freely during the funeral service of the late Sir Brian Bell at the St Martin’s Anglican Church in
More than 1,000 people, including family members, friends, senior management and staff of the Brian Bell Group of Companies, dignitaries, heads of businesses, departmental heads and members of the diplomatic corps, who have been touched in one way or the other by the generosity of Sir Brian, flooded the church to bid him farewell.
Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare and Governor-General Sir Paulias Matane, opposition leader Sir Mekere Morauta, Mining Minister John Pundari and Abau MP Sir Puka Temu were also there to pay their respects.
Former prime ministers Paias Wingti and Sir Rabbie Namaliu also attended the funeral service.
Branch managers of the Brian Bell group from Kokopo, Mt Hagen, Lae and Goroka also attended the funeral service on behalf of their staff.
Most noticeable was the build-up of everyday people, men and women from the informal sector, outside the church grounds yesterday.
Some of these people wept openly when the casket containing the remains of Sir Brian was taken out for its journey to the 9-Mile cemetery for burial.
One could only wonder how the late veteran businessman might have touched the lives of these individuals.
The church was filled to capacity and extra tents were erected outside the church grounds to accommodate some of the staff members and beneficiaries of his many good deeds.
The funeral programme was broadcast live on Kundu 2 Television.
Well-wishers arrived at the church well before 9am to say goodbye.
A sudden hush overcame the group of well-wishers as the casket carrying Sir Brian’s body arrived at the church at 11am at the sound of police sirens.
Oro dancers from Northern welcomed the casket as they shouted “Oro, Oro, Oro”, to the late Sir Brian.
This was followed by the reflective sound of the bagpipes by the Correctional Services band that accompanied the casket into the church.
Most fitting was the farewell song by Marina Prior, daughter of Sir Brian’s friend, Grand Prior in dedication to him.
The ceremony lasted about two hours before the body was transferred for burial.
At around 3pm, Sir Brian, the man who touched countless lives through his generosity, humility, honesty, commitment and hard work was finally laid to rest next to his wife Jean Ann Bell at the 9-Mile cemetery.
Remembering the great Ian Downs – builder of the Highlands Highway
Many of those legendary Australian kiaps
(patrol officers) who helped develop Papua New Guinea
Such a man was Ian Downs, who died on Tuesday August 24, 2004 , in
the Gold Coast, aged 89, one of the greatest and most legendary men who walked
this country.
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| Ian Downs |
Downs is remembered as the principal
facilitator of the contruction of the Highlands
Highway Highlands ,
Lae and Madang - as well as being a powerful influence in the founding of PNG’s
great coffee industry.
The entire highway today covers about 700
km, rising from sea level to over 8000 ft and much of it going through some of
the most-rugged terrain in PNG.
 |
A
semi-trailer along the
|
It is all situated in the tropics and, as a
result, tropical downpours coupled with the great elevation cause regular and
consistent damage to the Highway and its feeder roads.
Drainage is a critical issue and blocked
drains usually result in landslides, landslips, and large sections of the road
just falling away.
 |
| Border of Simbu and Western Highlands provinces at Munde |
The highway opened up the Highlands
and provided the initial impetus for the coffee industry to flourish and
prosper, and provided the initial link for the initial political unification
process of PNG.
 |
The highway, for the Highlands ,
was their gateway to the world, and all of that region’s valuable coffee
exports leave by the same route.
Most of what makes modern living possible
arrives in the Highlands via the highway, and
that entire region’s valuable coffee exports leave by the same route.
 |
| Main street of Banz, Western Highlands province |
The Porgera gold mine would never have been
established without the highway, and it continues to be a lifeline for Porgera
mine and the oil and gas projects in the Southern
Highlands .
At lower elevations, Ramu Sugar has tonnes
of sugar exports that get to the Lae Port via the Markham
 |
| Woman struggles along rundown Minj, Western Highlands province, which is a skeleton of its former self |
There is no single infrastructural asset of
greater value to PNG than the Highlands
Highway
It was while reading some most-misleading
information about the Highlands
Highway
 |
| Roadside market near Yonki, Eastern Highlands |
In 1953, thanks to Ian Downs, you could
drive from Lae to Goroka and on to Mount
Hagen
He was also a member of the first House of
Assembly in 1964, when he collected a record majority of over 100,000 votes –
which goes to show the respect he commanded – to win the seat of the New Guinea
Highlands, a constituency in the central highlands region with a population of
over half a million people.
In
the face of an increasingly nationalist style of politics he decided not to
stand for re-election in 1968, and retired from parliament to take up private
interests.
“He’s the one who got the road (Highlands Highway Downs .
 |
| Evangelical Bible Church property at Kassam, Eastern Highlands |
“He’s a man and a half this Downs.
“A few more like him and New Guinea
A man of intellect and a great strength of
character, Downs was also a writer of note.
A former patrol officer who rose to the
position of deputy administrator in the mid-1950s, Downs
was a prominent figure in PNG in the last years of the Australian trusteeship,
and possibly the only person who combined the roles of administrator,
politician, planter and historian.
Ian Fairley Graham Downs was born in Edinburgh , Scotland ,
in 1915 and was educated at Brighton and Geelong Grammar Schools
He entered the Royal
Australian Naval
College as a midshipman in 1915, and
in 1935, joined the New
Guinea
Downs took up his appointment to New Guinea
He accompanied John Black and Jim Taylor on
part of their famous Hagen-Sepik patrol in 1938-39.
From 1942 to 1945, Downs was a Coastwatcher
with the Royal Australian Navy in New Guinea
Downs returned to New Guinea
Between 1952-56 he held the position of
district commissioner in Goroka, before resigning to take up coffee farming and
to enter politics.
Succeeding the late George Greathead as
district commissioner to the then Central Highlands, a huge “middle kingdom” of
more than a million people stretching from Kassam in the East to the then Dutch
New Guinea border in the West.
Disillusioned with official policy, Downs resigned from his post as district commissioner in
1956 and in the following year gained election as Member for the New Guinea
Mainland in the Legislative Council.
As a parliamentarian he was further elected
in 1961 to the administrator's advisory council (later known as the
administrator's executive council), a board set up to advise the Administrator
on policy issues.
For the next four years he held the seat of
the New Guinea Highlands, a constituency in the Central Highlands region with a
population of over half a million people.
In the face of an increasingly nationalist
style of politics he decided not to stand for re-election in 1968, and retired
from parliament to take up private interests.
He involved himself deeply in the infant
coffee industry, being instrumental in the creating of the original Coffee
Marketing Board in 1964, of the coffee exporting company Coffee International
Ltd, of the Highlands Farmers & Settlers Association and its trading arm
Farmset Ltd, and was active in many areas of PNG’s early political and social
development.
It was during these years that Downs
pioneered what became known as Korfena Plantations, a group of coffee
plantations centred in the Upper
Asaro Valley
His novel The Stolen Land was
published in 1970, and he returned to Australian in 1970 after 35 years in the
country.
His widely respected publication The
Australian Trusteeship: Papua New
Ian Downs’ contribution to the founding of
modern-day Papua New Guinea
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