Sepik project gets trucks and machines

By GABRIEL FITO
A SHIPMENT of heavy machinery, trucks and other accessories from Malaysia arrived at the million-kina Turubu Oil Palm project site in East Sepik province over Easter.
There were 14 pieces of equipment that arrived by ship at Turubu Bay and included seven bulldozers, an excavator, a dump truck, a fuel tanker and four vehicles with spare parts for the machines and other accessories.
Landowner company chairman Aron Malijiwi said the equipment would complement the existing fleet of machinery in the project area to clear the first 10,000ha of land.
Malijiwi said he anticipated another shipment of heavy machinery from Malaysia in a few months to speed up clearance of the consented area.
Malijiwi had promised shareholders, the people of Turubu and the province, to witness accelerated development this year until the first 10,000ha was covered before work moved into other consented areas within the 121,000ha earmarked for oil palm development. 
Planting of the young palms from the nursery started late last year and reached the 35,000 mark before Easter.
This week another 3,000 palms were transplanted.
Malijiwi said planting was continuing, with more than 30,000 seedlings at the nursery.
He said he expected to receive another batch of seedlings from the Dammy Research in Kimbe, West New Britain, in a fortnight.