30,000 new jobs eyed for Morobe and Central

By NATHAN WOTI
THAILAND-based investor McAndrew and Partners has set a target to create more than 30,000 jobs in Morobe and Central after signing an agreement to develop a tapioca starch project.
The project is a collaboration between the investor, the Public Private Partnership Centre and the Morobe government.
Apart from creating thousands of jobs, McAndrew and Partners aims to produce up to 600 tonnes of native tapioca starch for markets in Thailand, Australia, China and the United States.
Company representative Chalee Wanchai said the Morobe tapioca starch project would be a large scale project covering up to a 31,000 hectares of land belonging to the Warawara Land Group Inc.
Morobe Governor Luther Wenge, who signed the agreement for the expansion of the tapioca starch project, said that it was time the landowners freed up land for mass agricultural crop production.
“Areas like the Markham valley, Waghi Valley and the Sepik plains are suitable for such mass crop farming,” he said.
“In Morobe, we are looking forward to supporting the investors to conduct their feasibility studies as well as support Central in their plans to build another project plant in their province.
“It is all about economic freedom and giving opportunities back to our people, the landowners and the citizens of this country to benefit.”
Wenge said that landowners in Markham had agreed to free up their land, and to allow for the mass crop farming.
He said the provincial government would support any economic development initiatives that would have high yielding results in revenue for the district, province and the nation.
Meanwhile, Kairuku MP Peter Isoaimo commended Central Governor Rufina Peter for signing the MoU yesterday which would allow for a feasibility study on the tapioca project to begin in Central’s Gabadi.