Call to focus on roads

INVESTING in roads in oil palm growing provinces will directly increase oil palm production by 10 per cent, West New Britain Governor Sasindran Muthuvel says.
“There was a submission by OPIC (Oil Palm Industry Corporation) requesting the Government for K70 million to address this oil palm road which is about 1250km of which in West New Britain, we have about 700km and the other remaining kilometres are from Milne Bay and Popondetta – other oil palm growing provinces,” Muthuvel told Parliament during the grievance debate last Friday.
“By simply investing this K70m, there is a very highly likely chance of increasing the production by another 10 per cent.
“When we talk about 10 per cent in that volume, over a five year period, it will be hundreds of millions of kina in terms of revenue.”
He said the investment in roads would not be in vain.
“The only excuse we have is that Government does not have direct control over this industry – government is not regulating,” he said.
“The industry has survived for more than 40 years without any Government regulation or without any funding from Government.
“We have cocoa, copra but none of it has been in a large scale except for oil palm.
“I really want to appeal to the Government that it is worthy investment by fixing these oil palm roads not only in West New Britain but also in Northern, Milne Bay and New Ireland.
“By fixing these oil palm roads we can increase the production as well as the revenue generation in this industry.”