Land issues hinders development of park

By ZACHERY PER
LAND issues in the Department of Agriculture and Livestock (DAL) has hindered development of the multi-million kina in Korofeigu Agriculture Park outside Goroka town, Eastern Highlands, Governor Peter Numu says.
He yesterday clarified to stakeholders the cause of the stoppage of the project, after calls were made for the development of the multi-million kina agriculture park.
“The Department of Agriculture and Livestock (DAL) wanted to give the Korofeigu land away to the Chinese developer whilst current custodian of the land within the department, the livestock development corporation (LDC) refused to give the land away and there is a tussle with DAL,” Numu said.
He said progress had hit a brick wall and was not getting the National Executive Council’s attention.
“For the other portion of the land under the custodianship of the Eastern Highlands government, I refused to allow it to go to the Chinese because of DAL’s land issue,” he said.
He said DAL, Eastern highlands government and the China Railway company signed a memorandum of agreement (MoA) last year, to develop Korofeigu into a agriculture park.
Numu said then Prime Minister Peter O’Neill witnessed the signing.
Department of Agriculture and Livestock was tasked to take the MoA to the state negotiating team with the support of the developer.
Numu said his administration was committed to developing the province’s agricultural potential through the signing of a MoA with Mckinley Asia PNG Ltd and witnessed by Prime Minister James Marape.
He said the partnerships were part of the provincial government’s agriculture and economic investment policy of which the Korofeigu Agriculture Park project was a part.