Fisheries taking back project
By GYNNIE KERO
A SUBMISSION is before cabinet to transfer the multi-million kina Pacific Marine Industrial Zone (PMIZ) project back to National Fisheries Authority (NFA), Commerce and Industry Minister William Duma says.
He said the authority dealt with tuna fishery and regulations and “knows better” about the project.
The Pacific Marine Industrial Zone was initiated by NFA and Fishing Industry Association in 2006.
The PMIZ project was launched in Nov 2015, and announced as a joint venture between Kumul Consolidated Holdings and the Madang government.
Three months ago, Finance Minister Rainbo Paita told The National that PMIZ would come under the Special Economic Zone project, with the Government to sign a Chinese Exim Bank loan agreement for the project.
Paita said there had been delays due to the scope of work being changed.
“The thing with Chinese Exim Bank agreements is that once a scope of work is changed, a new agreement has to be made again,” he said.
“We are currently taking stock of what we have and what we should include in the new scope of work and then we will sign a new agreement with the Chinese Exim Bank.”
Ialibu-Pangia MP Peter O’Neill told Parliament in January that the management of the project would be transferred to the Madang government.
O’Neill said Madang had enormous potential and the project was to create a regional tuna processing hub for the Pacific, create jobs and assist small-medium businesses in Madang and PNG.
The PMIZ project was established 16 years ago and it is understood that about K1 billion was used for the project that has nothing to show.
The project would host 10 tuna processing plants and generate 30,000 jobs once fully developed.
Located 23km by road north of Madang, the PMIZ was intended to cater for processing canneries, which would underpin the Government’s policy direction of moving away from only licensing fishing to more onshore processing.
The size of the project is 100 hectares for the industrial zone.
5 comments
Why would you use Chinese money when you could put a project together for the AIFFP Australian Finance Facility??????? You should really take a look at what’s available to PNG.
National report 2015/11/25
PM says the PMIZ will create 30000 jobs
By GYNNIE KERO in Madang
PRIME Minister Peter O’Neill says 30,000 jobs will be created by the multi-billion kina Pacific Marine Industrial Zone project He launched yesterday, plus other financial benefits for the people of Madang.
Is to late?for for MFA to be involved. k1bn spent already for nothing to show cause. An audit should be carried out prior to entering into another agreement. Prosecute all involved past and present and then we go back to the drawing board.
The delay in the implementation of such important project and another other national projects, is to be blamed on frequent changes in the government. Change in government means change in policies that affect a lot of national projects of the next government does not pursue in the same part the past government as set in place. PMIZ should have been completed a long time ago if there was little to none political interferences.
NFA was on the verge to implementing the PMIZ project when the PO’s government’s 90/10 policy came into play. Running sort of funds to fund infrastructure boom during PO’s term, PO’s government turn their attention toward the State Own Enterprises (SOEs) such as PNG Power, PNG Ports, National Fisheries Authority (NFA) etc….creating an Act called PMMR, a law created to remove 90% of all funds from the SOEs including self governing authority such as NFA (the Act; PMMR, was recently declarer by the Court as unconstitutional). Removal of operations funds by the PO governments means degrading and crippling the SOEs (including NFA) from operating, investing and generating more funds for the government. This includes an alt in progressing the work on projects such as PMIZ. Couple with the land ownership negotiation issues, the work was delayed.
The PMJM and his government have taken the right approach in progress the work on PMIZ. This government is setting a good foundation to make this country great.
*Frequent change in government and constant policy change is dragging a lot of national project implementation. PMIZ should have been completed a long time ago if there was minimal political interferences by the PO government on NFA to roll out the project.*
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