Corporation building new road for farmers

THE Oil Palm Industry Corporation (Opic) will build a 3km road outside Popondetta to support 10 smallholder oil palm farmers.
Opic general-secretary Kepson Pupita said in Sondegere, Ijivitari, Northern, on Saturday that this was part of its rehabilitation programme.
Northern is one of the oil palm growing provinces in PNG.
“In 2002, when the World Bank was extending the oil palm project around this area, they were building roads for blocks.
“The palms have been neglected because the fruit truck cannot come and pick up (oil palm).
“So we are going to open this place up.
“It will cost us some money but we need to do this to open up the 10 block to open opportunities to growers and bring export earnings for our country.”
He said the 20 hectares would generate about K4 million in export earnings.
“This is a very bad road,” Pupita said.
“These are some of the challenges facing farmers in getting the crops to the market.”