PNG products, artifacts heading for Dubai

By SHIRLEY MAULUDU
THE first lot of Papua New Guinea-made products and artifacts from different parts of the country will be shipped on Saturday to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, for the Expo 2020.
It will take about 30 days for the items to reach Dubai.
Maj Elizah Selan from the PNG Defence Force, who is also in charge of the expo logistics, said the PNGDF team is being assisted by Express Freight Management Services.
“We planned for the shipment to leave on July 3 (Saturday) and will have a transit period of about 27 days,” he said.
“We have one 44-foot container that will be shipped to Dubai. I have about 20 soldiers in the team who are assisting with packaging.”
Deputy Commissioner General Jacinta Warakai-Manua said products for the expo were sourced from different parts of the country.
“We have faith in the PNGDF because they have the experience in the movement of large equipment and procurement of essential materials. With that confidence, we have now seen that we have the pallets of our products ready to be shipped,” she said.
She said the products included manufactured products, artifacts, and handicrafts. The products range from canned fish, to spice products, bottled water, coffee. Also included are paintings from local artists.
“This is something that we are happy to take across to a country and region where we have not been before. It’s an opportunity to promote PNG in a region that is far from the Pacific region.”
She said the cost of shipment of the cargo to and from Dubai was met by the UAE government.