Plains for cattle farming

THE Sepik Plains covering nearly half of the provincial landmass across five districts in East Sepik hold a huge potential for cattle industry development in PNG.
David Galvin, chairman of Livestock Export Corporation of Meat and Livestock Association of Australia, said this after touring the Sepik Plains last weekend.
Galvin visited the Sepik Plains at the invitation of Member for Yangoru-Saussia and Minister for Trade, Commerce and Industry Richard Maru.
Galvin, along with another cattle development expert, Garry Cook and local expert Dr Keith Galgal, travelled across the Sepik Plains over two days to look at the grassland, water and to meet the local communities and assess the opportunity to invest in large-scale cattle industry development involving production, processing and marketing.
Galvin in his brief said in his many years with the Australian livestock industry, he has not seen rolling grassland hills and gullies such as presented by the Sepik Plains.
He said the grasslands and gullies have already been divided into paddocks of natural grassland and there is very little bush clearing to be done which means less cost for land development.
Galvin said the 400,000 hectares of grassland have the potential to carry up to 100,000 heads of cattle in 10 years.
This is a long-term investment and would require serious capital investment and commitment from all stakeholders and stockholders.
The industry will create thousands of jobs and spin off business for the people of East Sepik and improve their social well-being.
Maru thanked Galvin and the team for accepting the invitation see the Sepik Plains.
He said he has already allocated parcels of State lease lands in the Sepik Plains for commercial agriculture development.
Maru said his district has already mobilised 18,000 hectares of customary land apart from the State lease and his district staff were working closely with the landowners to produce integrated land groups (ILG’s) and release more land.
He invited Galvin to invest in cattle industry development in the Sepik Plains. The opportunity is here because unlike Australia, grass and pastures grow all year round.
The landowners are supportive of the initiative and told Galvin and his team that they are willing to combine their land for large scale commercial agriculture development.