District welcomes Israel investors

 By TAUNA GEORGE

THE Yangoru-Sausia district has welcomed experts from Israel who are here to boost its agricultural production.

MP Richard Maru said the latest Israeli technology would be used in the production of chicken feed and cocoa yield.

“We are excited to work with the LR Group from Israel not only to bring in technology but also to train our people so they can one day increase production in agriculture,” Maru, pictured, said.  

The LR group is one of the investment partners in the government-sanctioned K40 million agriculture project in the Sepik Plains.

The latest technology will not only focus on chicken breeding along the Sepik plains but also look at producing chicken feed and increasing cocoa yield.

He said a pilot project would be used to increase cocoa yields.

Maru said the district was ready to test out the pilot project.  

“A new technology is been trialled by LR in Africa where they are producing five times the yield of cocoa per tree compared to Papua New Guinea,” Maru said.

“We are excited that this pilot project once tried and tested in the country will prove that we can increase the yield of cocoa five times using the same technology.”

East Sepik is in talks with a chocolate manufacturer in Belgium to set up a factory in Wewak.

Maru said this could be the start of a major transformation in the cocoa industry in PNG.

He urged support from the locals.