NARI opens guest house

The government has approved K3.5 million for a national biotechnology centre that will improve crops through genetic productivity.
This was made known by director general of the National Agriculture and Research Institute (NARI) Dr Rangunath Ghodake during the opening of the new NARI European Union- ACP training guest house at Bubia station, 10-Mile, at the NARI headquarters.
“We will build the facility when the government releases the money because crop development and agriculture is the way forward,” he said.
Acting head of the European Union Commission delegation in PNG, Dr Kay Beese, who officially opened the guest house, said science and technology were important in development.
“We find more and more in capacity building, therefore, effective research in science and technology is important,” he said.
Ghodake said the credit must go to the European Union Commission for funding science and technology development.
“We initiated the project in March and planned to complete it early this month,” he said.
Ghodake said although it was 20 days late, the climate conditions had been a factor as to why the building was not completed on time.
NARI council chairman Dr John Kola said the facility was not for PNG alone, but students from the Pacific mainly Solomon Islands and Vanuatu would be using this facility for accommodation when they come for their courses.
He said the guest house would be used for public forums, training agriculture for development purposes and would be available for the public sector to use in terms of accommodation.
The guest house has 12 rooms each equipped with internet access all of which are self-contained that can accommodate two people in each room.