Agro-forestry project signed

By ANCILLA WRAKUALE
A LOCAL company in East New Britain has signed agreements with state agencies for a first-of-its-kind agriculture and infrastructure restoration project in East New Britain (ENB).
The signing agreement was witnessed by company representatives of KK Connection, landowner groups together with members of ENB government and heads of government agencies such as National Forest Authority and the Department of Commerce and Industry.
The integrated agriculture project will expand to the other 80% of the province which are least developed, such as the hinterlands of Baining and Pomio areas.
Management consultant for KK Connection Bungtabu Brown thanked the landowners for giving their land for development purposes.
She said so far they have planted more than 6,000ha of cocoa trees and the landowners were already harvesting the crops.
The project will include clearing of forests for planting of cash crops such as cocoa and coconut with reforestation activities as a means of sustaining the environment.
Infrastructure aspect of the project would include road construction connecting East and West New Britain provinces with emphasis on works on bridges afterwards.
Brown also urged other provinces to adapt similar projects.
ENB Governor Leo Dion thanked his people for the initiative, adding it had taken a long while to implement it.
He added that the project was the first of its kind and urged the developer and concerned authorities for cooperation to ensure the project was implemented in an accountable way.
Commerce and Industry acting secretary John Andrias said that the onus of the project was now on the project developer, provincial government and the landowners to ensure that the project is implemented.
There was also another signing ceremony at the Government House yesterday for the upgrading and sealing of the Magi Highway in Central.
The road maintenance will be implemented under the road maintenance and rehabilitation project funded jointly by World Bank and the government.
It will be carried out by Global Construction at a cost of K18.7 million.
The upgrading and sealing project will cover a total of 15km from Alepa turnoff to Ormond Bridge, including two other sections in Central.