Ramu beef aims to supply whole nation

By PATRICK TALU

 

RAMU Premium Beef (RPB), a division of the diversified Ramu Agro-Industry Ltd (RAIL) is setting the pace in quality premium beef production, The National reports.

Having set the pace, RAIL through RPB is looking at supplying the entire domestic market with tasty and quality premium beef.

"We have the potential to supply the entire domestic market and feed meat-hungry Papua New Guineans," RPB farm manager Marcel Eno told The National in Gusap last week.

"Our ultimate goal is to produce quality beef for our customers.

"In order to be what you want it to be, you have to look after it (referring to cattle).

 "And that is where we come in and put more emphasis on," Eno said.

As part of the new approach after recommendation from feasibility studies, RPB has emphasised on new breeding by cloning in which quality sperms are collected from healthy bulls and fertilise with quality eggs from cows.

Eno explained that by getting the best breed means quality beef.

He said to sustain the quality, RAIL had improved its pastures by preserving the harvested sorghum plants in the event that there was insufficient pastures for cattle to feed.

Eno said by the end of the year, RPB is projected to slaughter 20,000 cattle that will be supplied to the domestic market.

He said the company's focus was on producing quality and not quantity just sufficient enough for its domestic markets.

Currently, there are 1,200 cattle on the feedlot ready to be taken to the abattoir for slaughtering.

He said before sending cattle from the feedlot to the abattoir for slaughtering, it had to weigh more between 350kg and 400kg.

RPB abattoir manager Jerry Sei said: "Our customers like the quality beef that we produce. It is very tender and meaty that our customers favor our beef.

"To meet our customers' taste and preference, we have maintained and improved the quality."

Polls dilemma

Amend election legislation or face deferral, govt warned

 

By JEFFREY ELAPA

 

THE government has been urged to push for urgent electoral reforms to increase the number of open electorates or face a constitutional crisis – a possible postponement – in the general election next year, The National reports.

The 2002 law governing elections had provided for no more than 120 open electorates from the current 89.

That legislation must be re-amended to maintain 89 open seats but did not take into account the two new electorates of Jiwaka and Hela for which enabling legislation must be passed for their existence.

Adding to the complication was the newly-appointed Electoral Boundaries Commission which did not recommend for more seats in parliament.

The minister responsible for the electoral commission, Francis Potape, and Minister for Justice and Attorney-General Sir Arnold Amet were yesterday preparing a submission for the national executive council on the urgency of amending the 2002 provincial and national election legislation.

Failure to make amendments could mean postponing the general election next year, a source familiar with election laws said yesterday.

The source, who did not want to be named, said if the government did not amend the law, the new 2012 parliament was likely to be postponed to the following year.

The source said Potape and Sir Arnold had prepared the cabinet submission suggesting either a postponement of the elections or to have the newly appointed Electoral Boundaries Commission recommend the creation of more electorates.

The source stressed that the Organic Law on National and Local Level Government Elections as amended in 2002 would have to be amended again to retain the 89 open electorate seats for the 2012 election.

The source said the government would prefer to defer the election.

However, Potape was adamant yesterday that the election was going ahead next year "as announced and revealed by the Electoral Commission".

Electoral Commissioner Andrew Trawen also said next year's election "will take place as planned but there are doubts whether the election will be conducted as required under the amended Organic Law".

Potape said the amendment to the legislation was ready and the government had ample time to amend the law as elections were still a year away.

National Alliance power play angers United Resources Party leader

 

SOUTHERN Highlands Governor Anderson Agiru yesterday blasted National Alliance party members as a bunch of power-hungry players who are disrespectful of Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare, The National reports.

"Sir Michael, the father of the nation, is in his sick bed recovering from a complicated operation and, here, we have members of the ruling party who are highly disrespectful of him.

"They will stop at nothing to grab power and are making a play for it already. It is very un-Melanesian," Agiru said in a statement.

Agiru, founder of United Resources Party (URP), spoke out after the Post-Courier ran a front-page article yesterday, titled "NA leadership decided today" which suggested certain members of NA were pushing to take over leadership of NA while Sir Michael was on medical leave in Singapore.

He said it was Sir Michael's leadership and charisma that pulled together the coalition that had delivered the government to NA for two terms.

"These NA leaders must realise that it was Sir Michael who pulled together the coalition that has been in government for nine years.

"It is not them or their party. None of them have the magnetic pull that the grand chief possesses and is admired throughout the country for.

"That is why it is highly disrespectful of them to try to topple him while he is in his sick bed recovering," Agiru said.

"We gave the mandate to Sir Michael to lead the country, not NA. These leaders must realise this.

"The grand chief is going through the toughest challenge of his life, and the least you will expect is a tussle for power by the boys. 

"We, smaller parties in the coalition, are disappointed and are watching."

Agiru's URP is the second largest group in the coalition government after NA.

Meanwhile, Minister for Transport and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister on Constitutional Matters Francis Potape said certain paragraphs in the Post-Courier report were misleading and sensationalised.

"How did acting Prime Minister Sam Abal marginalised the members and their parties?

"Abal has not made any appointments," he said.

Locals close Kutubu

 

KUTUBU landowners protesting against the state over their benefits have shut down some facilities, stalling progress on the liquefied natural gas project in Southern Highlands, The National reports.

The landowners had shut the gates to Moro Airport, Angogo Ridge, access road and Mubi valve facilities at 6am yesterday.

The landowner leaders said the central production facility (CPF) that pumps oil to the Kumul terminal in the Gulf of Papua would be shut down this morning.

Fasu landowner leaders Kossy Sosoro, Keith Puara, Peter Heno and Foe leader Hami Yawari told a joint media conference the facilities "will remain shut until the state honours its outstanding commitments under the Kutubu petroleum development agreement".

The leaders said the Kutubu project started production in 1990.

"We signed (the agreement) because we understand that we will get the MoA funds and special support grants. But, this has not been honoured by the state since 1990 with more than K5 billion outstanding in MoA and SSG commitments."

Puara, a leader from Sisiba village that owns the Agogo facility, said the people had been patient for a long time and had never damaged project facilities.

"What we are doing today is for our rights and it is a peaceful shutdown," he said.

Kossy Sosoro, who heads the Moro Airport landowners, said the government had set precedence by paying K16 million to Hides 4 landowners to allow for LNG work and "must do the same for Kutubu".

Chief landowner of the central production facility Peter Heno said: "I warn the state and Oil Search Ltd not to intimidate and harass my people because this is a peaceful protest.

"We want our money."

Oil Search Ltd late yesterday issued a statement that there were a number of threats by landowner groups to disrupt oil operations because of their frustrations with the state over a number of alleged unfulfilled commitments, including the release of memorandum of agreement (MoA) funds and the review of the petroleum development licence 2 agreement.

"Oil Search Ltd will take all necessary action to protect its people and property and continue to undertake our lawful business within our licence areas," it said.

"Oil Search has obtained an order from the National Court, restraining any trespassing on its licence areas, as all the issues raised by the landowner groups relate only to outstanding state commitments and not actions or commitments by Oil Search."

The developer said it had been working tirelessly with landowner leaders to understand their grievances and facilitate their communication with the state, "notwithstanding that all these issues are external to Oil Search".

"As a member of this community, Oil Search always welcomes constructive dialogue with project area landowners and appreciates the manner in which this is being conducted, but impacts on operations are unacceptable.

"Following threats to government to shut oil operations, crowds have gathered around the Moro Airfield, the Agogo processing facility and the Moran oilfield."

All ExxonMobil, Oil Search and contractor-owned vehicles had been grounded and field work and business activities had stopped.

O’Neill:All districts will get DSIP funds

ALL electorates in the country will receive their district services improvement programme (DSIP) funds after this parliamentary session, Treasurer and Minister for Finance Peter O'Neill said yesterday, The National reports.

O'Neill gave the assurance after the member for Finschhafen, Theo Zurenuoc, asked during question time why his electorate did not receive last year's DSIP of K2 million.

He wanted to know when the government would pay his electorate its outstanding DSIP funds.

Zurenuoc accused the government of nepotism in the distribution of the funds.

O'Neill said the National Alliance-led government had not discriminated against any member of parliament or any district.

He said all the 89 districts had received their part of the funds over the past four years and the remaining funds would be paid soon.

He said K20 million had been paid over the past four years with the balance of K4 million each owed to the districts.

O'Neill said the government was committed and, wherever a district received a shortfall, it was its responsibility to top up the funds because the government wanted vital services to reach all the people, isolated or not.

"There is no division and separation between where you sit on the floor of parliament and where I sit," he said.

He said it was the government's intention to provide services to all people throughout the nation regardless of their location or their member's political affiliation.

O'Neill said the onus was on respective open members and members of their district budget planning and priorities committee to implement and use the funds to improve the lives of the people.

Committed MPs will have Resi funds, says Marape

MEMBERS of Parliament who show initiative and commitment will be given priority in the K70 million rehabilitation of education sector infrastructure funding, Education Minister James Marape told parliament yesterday, The National reports.

Marape said the K70 million "funding allocated by the government in this year's budget is too thin to spread over all schools throughout the country".

He said submissions made by individual schools exceeded K70 million.

"The submissions are in the vicinity of K10 million a school and if we give that amount only seven schools will benefit because what we have in hand is quite small," he said.

Marape said the best way forward "is that the Education Department has to come up with criteria for major impact on the K70 million which for this year will be targeting high schools".

"To ensure we achieve maximum benefit, we have set criteria for the Education Department to use in disbursing funds."

He said members of parliament who showed initiative in using their district service improvement programme funds to fund education programmes "will have a good chance of getting Resi funds".

"These are members of parliament who are willing to spend the DSIP funds, those who show interest and partnership with their counterpart funding will be given priority."

He said the other criteria would be for districts that missed out on Resi funding in last year's budget to be considered.

 "The money is small and we will now be targeting high schools instead of spreading the money too thinly."

Marape was responding to questions without notice from Moresby Northeast MP Andrew Mald, who claimed he had used his DSIP funds totalling K3.5 million to build 20 teacher's houses in schools in his electorate.

Mald said with Resi funding assistance, he expected to build 50 teachers houses in his five-year term as MP.

 

IT provider urges 50% drop in rates

By ANCILLA WRAKUALE

 

INTERNET rates in PNG need to be dropped by 50% from its current price to give easy and convenient access to people, managing director of Data Nets Ltd Sundar Ramamurthy said, The National reports.

Ramamurthy said this at the emerging technologies information seminar at Crowne Plaza Hotel in Port Moresby yesterday with the theme "enabling emerging technologies to assist business".

He said the main challenge in accessing internet in PNG was capacity constraint and needed to have a high speed capacity for internet users.

Ramamurthy said new innovations such as the mobile broadband service like the recently launched Digicel's 3G broadband access was fantastic for the country.

He said so much excuse was put on high illiteracy as a hindrance to the expansion of internet services, "but if PNG wants to develop, we have to drop the internet price".

Ramamurthy said since the start of the company in 1993, it had grown immensely and had expanded its internet service to 30 towns in PNG apart from their main operating centres.

He added that he was also looking at expanding to other parts of the Pacific as this was one of his ambitions when he first started.

The seminar attracted some of the largest IT companies in the world such as Cisco Systems, NEC and American Power Conversion (APC) and the audience comprised of business houses, government departments, banks and NGOs.

The seminar topics were focused on giving an insight into the current and future technologies and how they were benefiting businesses in other parts of the world.