K3mil for Morobe agriculture projects

By BONNIE ABOLA
THREE agricultural stakeholders of Morobe are the first to receive NADP funding through the Agriculture and Livestock Department.
A total of K3 million worth of cheques was handed to them yesterday at a presentation at Lae’s Martin Luther Seminary by Huon Gulf member and Minister for Health and HIV/AIDS Sasa Zibe on behalf of the Minister for Agriculture and Livestock John Hickey.
Zifasing cattle ranch in the Markham district was given K2.3 million towards upgrading of the farm as well as smallholder cattle development.
Bris Kanda Inc was given K450,000 for their BRED programme for cocoa and coffee development in the Huon Gulf district and local suppliers of appropriate technology and agricultural machinery to Papua New Guinea and the Pacific islands.
Project Support Services received K300,000 to go towards its supplying of rice milling machines to farmers throughout PNG.
Zifasing’s cheques would, however, be given to the people of Zifasing in a special ceremony next Wednesday.
Morobe provincial administrator Manasupe Zurenuoc said that Morobe was the leading agriculture commodity producer.
He stressed to the three recipients to make sure that their projects was properly managed.
Mr Zibe said that Papua New Guinea was lucky to be the third richest natural resources country after Brazil and Indonesia.
He urged the people of Zifasing to take care of their resource filled land and ensure its sustainability for the next generation.
“All farmers in Markham, especially those in the Wampar LLG and Huon district should be working together to make Markham live up to its name as the ‘food bowl of the people’,” he said.
He said that Papua New Guineans should own the economy and do so by having proper skills, plans and money.
Mr Zibe urged them not only to develop big projects like cattle ranching, and rice farming, but also consider traditional food crops such as banana and taro planting for the international market.
The member urged the people to mobilise their land for more local people-oriented projects.