400 in Bulolo resign in fear

By RIGGO NANGAN

MORE than 400 Sepiks, employed by the PNG Forest Products (PNGFP) in Bulolo, Morobe, have resigned en masse out of fear for their lives, The National reports.

Other Sepiks working in the local bank, post office and schools and the nearby mine are also expected to leave, causing losses to companies and affecting government services.

Locals from Bulolo in Morobe, armed with bush knives, axes, bows and arrows, with a placard calling for the complete removal of Sepiks from the township yesterday. Tension is still high in the area.

The 400 Sepiks at PNGFP have submitted their names to their workers union president, Moses Tikiong, and general secretary Albert Kaklep to take the matter up with the management for payout.

The Sepiks gathered at the Huxley Street Play School yesterday at noon while their leaders met with district authorities to discuss their future.

Kaklep later met with Sepik leader Nelson Bito and relayed the message to the people.

The fate of 12 others employed by Morobe Mining Joint Ventures is not clear yesterday.

Some of the 12 have been living with their families at the care centres while others lost their homes in the recent unrest.

The employees of PNGFP made it clear to the company management their decision to leave was due to the current unrest and the threats to the lives of their families and themselves.

District administrator Nimsen Kibisep travelled to Port Moresby yesterday to take the matter up with government secretary Manasupe Zurenuoc.

He would also seek funds for the repatriation exercise.

Bito said three venues for their temporary resettlement were discussed – the Lae show grounds, Wawin in the Markham Valley or a venue to be identified by the Lutheran church.

Kibisep predicted a decline in government services in the district if the entire Sepik community were to leave.

Bulolo University Forestry College principal Tommy Nahuet expressed similar sentiments, saying the campus might have to be relocated to Lae. Both men are from West and East Sepik respectively.

Bank South Pacific relieving branch manageress Linda Maron said eight employees at the bank were Sepiks and they were also affected.

The bank’s acting Momase chief security officer, Igag Woktamoi, closed the bank for an indefinite period as of yesterday.

BSP is the only bank in Bulolo and its customers will now have to travel to Lae to do their banking.

Post PNG branch manager Duna Mara said yesterday they would soon shut operations.

Meanwhile, locals yesterday said they were happy to see the Sepiks go but the government must ensure the repatriation was definite.

“We will stay here until they leave because the authorities did not play their part which led to another unrest,” the locals said.

Ramu NiCo considers laying off workers

RAMU NiCo, the manager of Ramu nickel joint venture, will consider laying off workers at its nickel and cobalt operations in Madang following yesterday’s National Court refusal to lift the interim injunction preventing the construction of its offshore component of the deep sea tailings placement (DSTP) system, The National reports.

More than 3,000 people in the province depended on the US$1.4 billion project which is nearing the end of its construction phase.

They included about 1,200 Papua New Guinean workers at the Kurumbukari mine site in Usino-Bundi, the refinery site at Basamuk in the Rai Coast and the Madang head office.

They stand to lose their jobs.

And, in a further blow, the forced stopwork at the mine will slash economic growth forecast for this year.

Government officials said yesterday the GDP growth target of 8.5% this year would be downgraded to 7.1%, a massive drop which could have a negative effect on PNG as an investment destination.

The slow down in the PNG LNG project was also going to have some impact on economic growth forecasts, they said.

Ramu NiCo said their first option though would be to urgently appeal yesterday’s decision to the Supreme Court.

An “extremely disappointed” Ramu NiCo said in a statement it had already lost millions of kina since the injunction was granted in March.

In an earlier pre-trial hearing, Ramu NiCo had told the court that damages suffered since the injunction was granted included K2.05 milllion in direct expenses, K360,000 a day in interest to banks and K1.3 million a day in cost to DSTP contractors.

It said it had suffered financial losses for which it could not possibly be compensated.

Ramu NiCo had sought to lift the injunction by five Basamuk plaintiffs to allow it to finish construction before the advent of the rainy season and had undertaken not to dispose of tailings through the pipeline without the court’s approval. 

It said that up to June 30, it had spent US$1.2 billion out of the total development cost of US$1.4 billion for the project, which was scheduled to start trial operation by October.

Ramu NiCo said that given that it was unlikely that the DSTP would be completed before the rainy season, significant delays to the project construction and operational schedule was now unavoidable.

It said it had to fully assess the impact and amend the construction and operational timetable accordingly.

“As the construction is winding down and most of the equipment has been installed, one real option is to now place the project on a ‘care and maintenance’ basis, postpone the operational preparation works and adopt retrenchment measures, even though this would be devastating for our workers and their dependents and for the landowners, other community members and business partners.

“Given this, Ramu NiCo will do everything it reasonably can to minimise the losses.

“Ramu NiCo will also discuss the present situation with project stakeholders, including Highlands Pacific Limited, the government and landowners, before taking further actions,” it said. 

 

Judge opts for safety

By JAYNE SAFIHAO

 

NATIONAL Court judge David Cannings opted for “a safety first approach” yesterday when he refused to grant an application by Ramu NiCo to lift the interim court injunction he had granted in March to stop offshore construction of the deep sea tailings placement (DSTP) system, The National reports,

Instead, he extended the injunction until Dec 21, the trial date for the substantive case by five Basamuk plaintiffs – Eddie Tarsie, Farina Siga, Peter Sel, Sama Melambo and Pommern Inc Land Group.

Cannings ruled that there was no material change in circumstances, as was sought by Ramu NiCo which had also failed to provide sufficiently evidence to prove that the trial was delayed due to failure on the plaintiffs’ part.

The March injunction meant that all preparatory or construction work on DSTP system had stopped, including all and any damage or disturbance either directly or indirectly to the offshore environment such as coral blasting, popping of dead or live coral and laying of pipes pending the substantive hearing.

Cannings said he was not convinced that waste would not be discharged into the seas if construction of the DSTP was allowed to proceed pending the substantive hearing.

 

 

Happy Birthday, Hula

Happy birthday to my beloved wife and our Mum, Hula Debe Nalu, who would have turned 34 today, but left us so alone and tragically on Easter Sunday, March 23, 2008.

Memories of the time we have spent together will be cherished forever.

With never-ending love from Malum and our four young children Malum Jr (9), Gedi (8), Moasing (6) and Keith (3).

Do not stand at my grave and weep,I am not there, I do not sleep.

I am a thousand winds that blow.

I am the diamond glint on snow.

I am the sunlight on ripened grain.

I am the gentle autumn rain.

When you wake in the morning hush,I am the swift, uplifting rush Of quiet birds in circling flight.

I am the soft starlight at night.

Do not stand at my grave and weep.

I am not there, I do not sleep.

Do not stand at my grave and cry.

I am not there, I did not die!

Rice mill launched in Kutubu

By SENIORL ANZU of NARI

Women in Kutubu, Southern Highlands, have all the reason to smile as they now own two rice milling machines to boost local production.

History was made last Friday when the first gains of white rice poured out of one of the brand new machines during the launch at Pimaga government station under the watchful eyes of over 2,000 farmers, mostly women from Foe, Faso and Moran areas.

Oil Search Ltd community affairs officer Paul Sapake (right) and Kutubu Foe Women's Association president Naomi Samuel cutting the ribbon to officially launch two rice milling machines at Pimaga in Kutubu.-Pictures by SENIORL ANZU

Oil Search Ltd, a resource developer in the oil and gas rich Southern Highlands province, handed over the two machines to the local women.

Interest for local rice production had gained momentum after the Kutubu Foe Women’s Association (KFWA) started planting rice from upland rice seeds which they received from NARI Lae in 2008 during the launch of the PNG Women in Agriculture Development Foundation (PNGDiADF).

 In the last few years, more farmers joined to farm rice, including members of the Namoi Namo Women’s Association (Faso) and Moran Women’s Association.

However, a major hurdle was the lack of milling facilities which prompted KFWA, a member of the PNGWiADF, to seek support from possible avenues.

Through the PNGWiADF, the Department of Agriculture and Livestock provided a huge Satake rice milling machine, valued between K30-40, 000, to KFWA.

OSLdonated another machine, a micro-mill, worth more than K7, 000. 

First dish of milled rice pouring out of a brand new micro-mill at Pimaga in Kutubu last Friday from upland farming by women farmers from Foe, Faso and Moran areas

OSL facilitated the transportation of both machines to Kutubu.

The oil and gas developer, in partnership with Moro-based NGO, Community Development Initiative Foundation, also sourced resource people from NARI and PNGWiADF from Lae and Christian Leaders Training College in Banz to train interested rice farmers on field production and milling.

This training was conducted last week for more than 100 interested rice farmers.

During the launch, Kosi Sosoro, chairman of Kawaso Ltd, who witnessed the event, presented K2, 000 each to the three women’s associations from Kutubu.

OSL community affairs officers, Paul Sapake and Marc Mulungu, commended the Foe women for taking the initiative to venture into rice production.

Accolades also came from CDI-Moro manager Peter John, PNGWiADF president Maria Linibi and Dr Peter Gendua of NARI.

KFWA president Naomi Samuel said sago, which took 15-20 years to grow, had been their staple food all their lives.

She said the process of extracting sago was laborious and performed mostly by women, hence, her group had opted for rice to shorten food maturity period and also supplement household food intake.

Samuel said the group was aiming to produce large volumes of rice to supply to catering companies in the project areas.

She called on mothers from Faso and Moran to cultivate rice and mill them using the two machines.

The historical occasion was witnessed by representatives from Esso Highlands, landowner companies, government representatives, community leaders, NGOs, school children and farmers.

Extension delivery concept realigns to major government initiatives and policies

By SOLDIER BURUKA of DAL

The realignment of agricultural extension systems such as the Smallholder Support Services Expansion Project (SSSEP) with the National Agriculture Development Plan (NADP), DSP 2030 and Vision 2050 will further strengthen and boost agriculture productivity and development.

Department of Agriculture and Livestock deputy secretary for technical services, Francis Daink, said this in Lae when opening the SSSEP Inception Workshop today.

Delegates from Eastern Highlands provincial administration and SSCF Unit discuss their strategy before the workshop.-Pictures by JOY WOKTAMUL, SSCF Unit, Lae

Daink called on all the stakeholders involved with the SSSEP and in the realignment process to work closely to achieve these objectives.

He said this was a government direction that needed to be carried out and urged all partners to make positive contributions.

One of the pillars in the Vision 2050 relates to wealth creation focusing on amongst other renewable resources, the agriculture sector, whilst DSP 2030 considered agriculture as one of the important sectoral strategies through economic corridors concept and NADP based its key programmes on enhanced productivity, research and extension, food and nutrition security, agro-forestry, human capacity and information improvement.

The SSSEP concept now being introduced into two new provinces, Central and Chimbu, looks at research and extension for development, innovations, human capacity development and others.

Daink told the workshop participants that their positive and valued contributions would assist in ensuring that the realignment process would bring good results for the SSSEP so that it was successfully implemented in the provinces.

 Morobe province’s deputy administrator for corporate affairs, Geoving Bilong, said the SSSEP concept, trialed in Morobe and Eastern Highlands provinces could be successfully introduced and implemented into the current delivery of extension services.

He said the concept had been successful in these provinces and believed that it could also improve extension services in Central and Chimbu provinces.

 He said in Morobe, many farmers who went through the pilot phase of SSSEP said that it had had a positive impact in their livelihoods.

Bilong said due to its overwhelming success, the SSSEP should be extended to other provinces. He thanked the New Zealand government through NZAID for contributing over K3 million for the expansion phase.

The Lae workshop was attended by officers from Morobe, Eastern Highlands, Chimbu, Central, Department of Agriculture and Livestock, Department of National Planning and Monitoring and NZAID.

Smallholder Support Contract Facility staff from Morobe, Eastern Highlands and project coordination unit in Port Moresby facilitated the two-day workshop.

The issues discussed included the implementation approach, implementation schedule, logical framework, monitoring, and status of inception report, management information systems, service provider associations, and gender mainstreaming.        

Plan aims to reduce cocoa pod borer in Papua New Guinea

By SOLDIER BURUKA of DAL

A 10-year strategic plan is to be launched as part of the government’s efforts to combat the spread of the cocoa pod borer (CPB) infestation in the country.

Relevant government agencies will work closely with the private sector, provinces, industry groups and farmers to implement the strategic plan as from this year.

A concerted effort by all stakeholders including adequate funding is vital to make the plan work, as the government is determined to boost cocoa production to 100,000 tonnes by the year 2015.

 Despite the spread of CPB, the industry has achieved a new record in production of 59,350 tonnes for the 2008/9 cocoa year.

CPB was first reported in East New Britain province in 2006 and has since been detected and confirmed in seven cocoa-growing provinces.

 The latest confirmation is from Baluan Island in Manus province.

At the same time cocoa is making inroads into the highlands region with new plantings in Simbu and Western Highlands provinces.   

The plan was revealed at a recent meeting of the national CPB steering committee held in Port Moresby.

Officials from the Cocoa Board, PNG Cocoa Coconut Institute, Department of Agriculture and Livestock, Autonomous Region of Bougainville, East New Britain, Madang, New Ireland, and two companies, Agmark Pacific Ltd and Monpi Cocoa Exports attended the meeting.

Provincial representatives in particular were happy with the news saying that more positive action with funding and resources were needed to tackle the CPB problem.

Cocoa Board acting chief executive Lauatu Tautea said the plan would involve the active promotion, facilitation and the adoption of CPB management practices including the integrated pest and disease management (IPDM) technology as a way of reducing CPB infestation and sustaining cocoa production.

The strategy will include training and awareness on the CPB management technology, provision of essential tools and chemicals.

He said the support of stakeholders including private companies and service providers was essential in the overall success of the plan.

“Of paramount importance is the sustainability of the project which is anticipated to be achieved through training as well as from farmer support activities,” Tautea said.

“Adoption of good practices by cocoa farmers in growing, producing and processing of cocoa at the end of the day is most important.”

Tautea said that if CPB was not contained and managed effectively it would result in huge economic losses which would give rise to other social problems.

Officials from the provinces were happy with the news and requested that funding be made available quickly for the programme to commence.

Private sector representatives said it was a positive move by the government and stressed that they were ready to work closely with key agencies to fight the CPB problem.

 They said the private sector was already working with cocoa farmers in areas such as setting up of nurseries and conducting farmer training.