Country needs to beef up livestock: Simon

AGRICULTURE and Livestock Minister John Simon says there is an urgent need to beef up the country’s dwindling livestock numbers.
He said it was shameful to see PNG importing beef from the small Pacific nation of Vanuatu.
Simon made the comment at the Corn Farm outside Mt Hagen, Western Highlands, on Tuesday when opening the Highlands abattoir project.
Lands and Physical Planning secretary Benjamin Samson handed over the land title of the old abattoir at the Highlands Agriculture Training Institute to Livestock Development Corporation (LDC) acting chairman Martin Ginyaru. “We want to bring in more cows here,” Simon said.
“Our livestock numbers must be increased.
“Our demand for meat in the country is (high) that it is still being imported.
“We are even importing beef from the small Pacific island of Vanuatu, something that makes me ashamed.
“It shows that we are lazy.”
Simon said the Government wanted to take back all LDC land including rundown abattoirs and stockyards, and fill these up with livestock.
“We will import more cattle, sheep and goats which people can look after.
“We want to have more sheep so that we can stop importing lamb flaps from New Zealand,” Simon said.
“When we have good abattoirs, holding yards and stock yards, we will look at bringing in more cattle.
“This is to increase the number to between 500,000 to one million.”