Hela to open new broiler farm next month: Weiss

 By Gedion Timothy
THE Israeli agriculture firm Innovative Agro Industry says a broiler farm will be opened in Hela next month.
Company chairman and director Ilan Weiss said the project was at its final construction phases and should be opened on July 22.
It coincides with the birthday of the late Governor Anderson Aigru who had always wanted agriculture prioritised in the province.
“IAI has been operating for two years a modern vegetable and poultry farm in Koroba (Hela) engaging out growers in the production of stock-feed,” he said.
He said the broiler (chicken meat) farm was in its final stages of construction at Tari-Piwa in Hela .
“In Southern Highlands, IAI and SHP with the support of the Government are engaged in the establishment of an advanced frozen vegetable plant intended to serve the Highlands farmers,” he said.
“The project will include hundreds of growers growing produce like mini carrots, corn, potatoes and others that will be manufactured to frozen vegetables, including French fries, in a process that will retain their taste and nutritional values.
“The project will transform subsistence farming in SHP into cash crop farming and is intended to replace imports at the first stage and later on will tap into export markets.”
Innovative Agro specialises in the development, implementation and operation of agro-industrial projects. The firm identifies the opportunity in farming so as to ease Papua New Guinea’s reliance on high-cost food imports.