Miner, district ink deal

NAMATANAI Advancement Ltd (NAL), the district’s business arm, has signed a three-year deal with the Newcrest Mining Ltd to supply fruits and vegetables to the mine.
This was announced by local MP Walter Schnaubelt during the first anniversary of the WFA (Walters Farmers Association) Buying Point last week.
NAL set up WFA Buying Point at the beginning of the year and signed an initial one-year deal with Newcrest to supply fruits and vegetables to the Lihir gold mine.
Schnaubelt said the buying point had supplied two tonnes of fruits and vegetables to the mine per day and had generated K2.4 million to the district in a year.
He said the new agreement would bring a total of K7mil back to district over the next three years.
“We initially asked for three years in the first agreement but they gave us 12 months to test how much we could supply,” he said. “In the last 12 months, we have supplied two tonnes per day throughout the buying point here in Namatanai,” he said.
“Daily, on average, we buy K10,000 from our farmers here in Namatanai. In five days, that’s K50,000 going back to the pockets of families in the district.
“In a month, that’s K200,000.
“In a year, that’s K2.4 million.
“We have now signed a new contract and in their term of the contract, almost K7 million is committed back to the district to buy fruit and vegetables at the buying point.”
Schnaubelt said the arrangement was made directly with Newcrest to the district’s business arm.
Newcrest chief operating officer Craig Jones said: “The first anniversary of the buying point signifies a very strong partnership between us and the people of Namatanai.
“Newcrest has over 5,000 employees most of which are Papua New Guineans who eat food that is grown in Namatanai.
“Newcrest spent about K800 million a year on Papua New Guinean goods and services and our desire is to see much of that money being spent in New Ireland.”