Bad roads slow business

 Unreliable feeder roads in Morobe have hindered communities from accessing basic services, an LLG president says.
Wampar LLG president Michael Poane, said the rural population had the land to cultivate agricultural produce but road was a problem.
Poane, who is the Morobe provincial minister for agriculture and livestock, said communities on the fringe of urban areas were involved mainly in poultry and livestock farming.
He said  they did not reap the real benefits of their sweat due to the lack of inconsistency in maintaining the road networks.
 “Unreliable roads costs PMV operators and farmers too much,” he said.
“Those behind the mountains never realise the benefits of their sweat as their produce becomes rotten.
Poane engaged two road contractors, Bonob and Geso Earthmovers, for K700,000 and K800,000 respectively, to rehabilitate Puseka and Tanam roads, in Wampar, Huon Gulf.
“Most farmers found it difficult to deliver their stock feeds or to transport the chicken and cocoa to factories in Lae,” Poane said.
He said the rural people could be provided for them if the local level governments were adequately funded with equipment and the required public servants.
Wain-Erap president Charlie Foike backed Poane’s concern, saying the government should increase local level government support improvement programme (LLGSIP) funds from K500,000 to K1 million.
Foike said that for the government to realise improvements in the small-medium enterprise (SME) sector, road was an essential path of the bigger picture to allow people’s mobility.