Markham farmers to share cattle

MARKHAM farm’s remaining 4,000 heads of cattle will be distributed to 10 smallholder farmers in Huon’s Wampar LLG in Morobe.
The deal was signed in a private-public partnership arrange with Coastal Solutions Ltd and the 10 smallholder farmers of Furif, Bampurompom, Zifasing, Clean Water, Nub, Momem, Ganef, David Moga family, James Solomon and the Ubbix group from Tararan, Zifasing and Gabsongkec villages.
The Markham Farm is understood to have been bought by a foreign company, possibly to turn it into an oil palm estate.
All the cattle at the farm had been bought by the National Government for distribution to Madang, Western Highlands and Central provinces.
The landowners had been left out until at the weekend. They claimed that the first 4,000 heads of cattle had not been delivered.
They said the cattle were supposed to be used as breeder stock to improve the cattle industry in the country.
The 10 farming groups under the Wampar Smallholder Cattlemen’s Association (WSHCA) were met by Obura-Wonera MP John Boito.
Huon Gulf MP and Health and HIV/AIDS Minister Sasa Zibe urged the farmers to continue breeding the best cattle in the country.
“Your quality breeding will promote the industry and benefit the country,” he said.
Under the arrangement, the groups would breed the cattle and then sell it to the farmers.
The revenue would be shared between the Wampar farmers and the National Government on a 50-50 basis.