PM stresses value of land: It’s our backbone

PRIME Minister Peter O’Neill says in Melanesian society, livelihoods depend so much on land for survival.
But this has changed because many people are looking for easy money, he said.
O’Neill said cultivating the land was the backbone of indigenous livelihoods as people were traditionally connected to the land.
He said in the past seven years, the Government had invested K10 million every year through the district services improvement programme to each district for roads, agriculture, health and education.
Last week, he launched 25,000 cocoa seedlings for the nursery and rehabilitation activities for the Situm-Gobari cooperative group at Situm station, Labuta in Nawaeb.
O’Neill said the revival of the cocoa industry in Situm was important to support families whose fathers had served under the Australian army during World War 2.
He gave K250,000 to the Situm Primary School and pledged K500,000 to the Sigo cooperative group. It has 16 fermentries on 74 State-owned land.
The Cocoa Board of PNG is helping them improve cocoa production with support from Nawaeb MP Kennedy Wenge.
Australian High Commission minister counsellor Andrew Egan said the Australian army had established a special connection with natives since 1943.
“The owners of this land are the sons and daughters of those soldiers who helped Australian soldiers” he said.
Egan said cocoa cultivation would boost the local economy and benefit around 2000.