Firm, community partner in poultry project

Agribusiness firm Innovative Agro Industry PNG Ltd (IAI PNG Ltd) has been working in partnership with the people of Western and the Ok Tedi Development Foundation (OTDF) to run a commercial poultry project in Tabubil.
Construction on the poultry facility, which was developed to provide employment opportunities for mine-affected
villages in Western was completed on February.
The total investment in the establishment of the Poultry Enterprise is K7 million, of which operators IAI PNG Ltd invested 20 per cent of the project amount, with the balance raised by the mining villages and the women’s association. The project aims to develop a foundation for modern commercial agriculture in Western.
The table egg and broiler production farm which will cater for the needs of the local market and and supply eggs and live birds to local communities and commercial clients in the region has been in operation since early March. All produce will be sold locally in Tabubil and Kiunga.
The project plans to produce approximately 3.5 million eggs annually.
Five hundred live birds of quality broiler breed will be produced weekly, which is a sufficient quantity to replace poultry shipments to other parts of PNG and foreign imports.
Poultry management will be based on choice of breed, poultry husbandry, healthcare and sanitation.
IAI PNG Ltd chairman Ilan Weiss said: “Working with communities to deliver lasting results is what we do as an organisation.
“We believe that PNG has an enormous potential for commercial agriculture. The support from the local Tabubil and Bige communities has been fantastic.
“We have delivered projects in some remote places like Sirunki in Enga and Hela.”