China to fund agro projects worth K1bil

By MALUM NALU

The development of US$330 million (K1.043 billion) PNG-China Integrated Agriculture Industrial Park projects in Western Highlands and Eastern Highlands is part of a massive US$4.46 billion (K14.1 billion) worth of impact projects to be funded by the Chinese government.
The three projects are the US$4.1 billion (K12.96 billion) high priority economic road project, US$330 million PNG-China Integrated Agriculture Industrial Park projects in Western Highlands and Eastern Highlands, and US$32 million (K101.18 million) Goroka town water supply upgrade project.
Present to witness the signing were Prime Minister Peter O’Neill, Chinese ambassador Xue Bing, Chinese embassy economic counsellor Liu Linlin, China Railway Group Ltd president Zhang Zongyan and vice-president Liu Hui, presidential office director Qi Wei, deputy manager for international business Shi Yuan, and China Railway Construction Engineering Group Corporation Ltd president Bi Yanchun and vice-president Wu Dongzheng. The agriculture project plans to build two duty-free integrated agriculture industrial parks in Eastern Highlands (150 hectares) and Western Highlands (130 hectares).
Those who signed were Agriculture and Livestock Minister Benny Allan, Tambul-Nebilyer MP and Vice-Minister for Treasury Win Bakri Daki, Eastern Highlands Governor Peter Numu, Western Highlands Governor Paias Wingti, China Railway International Group Corporation Ltd president Chen Shi Ping, project team leader Brian Waii, and Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University representative Prof Lin Zhanxi.
This is not the first time that the Chinese have come in to help agriculture in PNG, and Eastern Highlands in particular.
Back in 1997, I travelled up to Lufa in Eastern Highlands with then Agriculture minister Tukape Masani to launch what was known as the Juncao Mushroom project.
The mushroom project grew and while living in Goroka from 1998-2002, I remember Lufa mushrooms were very popular in shops and markets.
The mushroom project, however, was short lived due to various reasons.
Brian ‘Mushroom’ Waii, who spearheaded the Juncao Mushroom Project, is now the team leader of the agriculture industrial parks.
He became known as ‘Mr Mushroom’ during the height of the Lufa project.
The parks are planned to be built at Korofeigu along the Highlands Highway outside Goroka (130 hectares) and Ati in Tambul-Nebilyer, Western Highlands (160 hectares).
Waii tells me that relations between China and PNG mushroomed during the time of the Lufa project.
“In 1995, I was accepted to study at the Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University and at that time, current Chinese President Xi Jinping was the governor of Fujian province,” he says.
“It happened that I was one of the first students to take on mushroomology.
“During the graduation, we made a committment to industrialise and popularise this technology all over the world.
“I negotiated for this project to be transferred to Eastern Highlands, even though it was still in its initial stages.
“The project was transferred to Eastern Highlands in 1997.
“We implemented it in Lufa and the project was running well, with Chinese experts coming in, and we had full budget support.
“We had the support of the late Mathias Karani (former Lufa MP) and then Eastern Highlands governor Peti Lafanama, and the project was going well.
“We opened up markets in Port Moresby, with high-profile clients, including the late Sir Brian Bell and former governor-general Sir Paulias Matane, and we were running well until some political changes took place.
“We were all displaced and the idea went to rest.”
Waii says when former Eastern Highlands governor Julie Soso was elected in 2012, she tried to initiate discussions on the project, but this fell through.
He says he then had talks with the Chinese embassy in Port Moresby and Fujian province, and the consensus was that the project must be resurrected on a commercial basis.
“We were looking for a commercial vehicle and China Railway International happened to be there, so we went had an agreement, and had further discussions with the Eastern Highlands and Western Highlands governments, as well as the Department of Agriculture and Livestock.
“The agreement has been signed and the project is ready to begin.”
Waii says Jinping would be visiting Eastern Highlands during the Apec summit and would want to see things off the ground, with his country being the major sponsor of the project.
“That’s the reason all parties will need to consolidate and take ownership of the project,” he says.
Waii says with the signing of the agreement, resources are now being mobilised “so we can get on site and start as soon as possible”.
“Apec is just around the corner and we can’t waste any time,” he says.
“We need to get on site and start construction – levelling the land and all those things.
“We are calling on the provincial governments and stakeholders to also move at pace, especially when it comes to land and other resources.”
Wai describes the project as “very strategic”.
“Strategic in the sense of its timeliness with Apec, and strategic also in that it is high time we go into commercial arrangements,” he says.
“It is important for all stakeholders to be united so that we can move forward.”
We wait to see what will happen next.