Govt asked to assist authority with K1.4mil for X-rays

THE National Agriculture Quarantine and Inspection Authority (Naqia) needs K1.4 million to purchase two X-ray machines at the wharf and airport in Port Moresby.
Agriculture Minister John Simon highlighted thisx asking for the funding from the Government to have the machines in place.
“With the presence of the African Swine Fever (ASF) in Mendi (Southern Highlands) where 300 pigs died, fall armyworm in Daru and dogs dying in East Sepik, this is a call for us to protect our borders and trade routes,” Simon said.
“Amidst the efforts to contain and control the spread of the pandemic, Covid-19, the Government needs to help Naqia.
“Naqia needs X-ray machines.
“We have a lot of fake products brought into the country, most times we do not know what is coming in from those containers.
“Naqia needs K1.4 million to buy x-ray machines, one for the airport and one for the wharf in Port Moresby,” he said.
Simon also highlighted that people would soon be able to export prawns to markets in Australia.
“We (Naqia) have bought a machine for testing diseases in prawns, a requirement that we have to meet before we can sell our prawns,” he said.
“By next month, the facility or lab should be finished and prawns can be tested.”
Simon also noted that Naqia was building a quarantine wharf at Roku, Central.
It will be declared as a port of entry, making it the 23rd port in this country specifically for bringing in livestock.
The Government has directed Naqia management and team to revive the livestock industry.
Naqia’s managing director Joel Alu had said: “We already have an arrangement and have visited some farms in Queensland last time and those farmers are prepared to bring cattle into the country and we manage and distribute them of breeder and slaughter cattle thus reducing the price of (beef) we have in this country’s market.”
“Those are some plans we have but we may not be able to achieve any this year.”