K2mil needed to give farms new lease on life

The Esa’ala district in Milne Bay needs about K2 million to revive some if its coconut plantations, an official says.
There are about 40 plantations in Esa’ala which were commercially viable during the colonial times but had since lain idle, said acting district administrator Dimiki Doula.
He said the district plans to revive those plantations with the help of Kokonas Indastri Koporesen (KIK).
Doula said they would first work in plantations such as Sawataetae, Sebulugoma and Yuyai.
“We will not try to revive all the 40 or so plantations but we will strategically identify those that are most promising,” Doula said.
“These are plantations that provided work for local people and people from other centres who had come in to work in the past.
“Our efforts now is to try to revive the coconut industry in our district and by way of that we are linking up with KIK.”
KIK would sign an agreement with the Esa’ala district for the provision of technical assistance, said the company’s industry services general manager Alan Aku.
In another area of business, Doula said there were plans to build a fish market in either Kalokalo or Budoya village.
The project was at its scoping stage and the National Fisheries Authority was carrying out the work. He said the fish project would include a jetty and a fishing trap net.
“The locals harvest the fish in the trap net and bring to the market,” Doula said.
“There will be a cooling facility to store the fish.
“We have market arrangements with Tawali Resort to buy fish from the local people.
“We can also sell our fish to other markets in Port Moresby and Lae.”