Wutung and govt ink deal to build trade centre

The National Business

WUTUNG has agreed to provide land for the Government to set up a trade centre.
The agreement was reached following International Trade and Investment Minister Richard Maru’s recent visit to Vanimo together with a Japan Development Institute team.
The councillor of Wutung village, the border village of West Sepik and chairman of the landowner company of the proposed Papua New Guinea (PNG) Trade Centre in Wutung village agreed to the setting up of the centre. They agreed that:

  • THE land identified for the centre in Wutung village will not be sold to the Government but only leased long-term;
  • ALL business spin-offs for the centre like security, cleaning, will be given to the landowner company; and,
  • THE Government will fund the cost of building a new bore water supply system for the proposed centre and the border post in Wutung.

The same water supply system must also provide a continuous and free water supply system to Wutung village.
Currently, there is no electricity and water in the border post, resulting in all the scanning machines, including the truck which has the scanning machines, has not been used since 2018.
“They are all gathering dust, including the office complex as there is no water.
“The whole border post is in a despicable state and we must act now to fix all these if we are serious to trade with Indonesia,” Maru said.
“I have asked the West Sepik Governor and his administration to meet the cost of connecting electricity from Vanimo to Wutung as a matter of priority while the Government will take care of funding the water supply system and lease the land for the centre.
“We cannot continue the one-way trade of our people going to Batas in Indonesia to buy goods.
“The time has come for us to get our act together and build the centre,” he added.