The Erap agricultural farm in Morobe province is in dire need of funding support to sustain its operations.
Crumbling farmhouses, a rundown tractor and a large area of unused land are some of the results of no funding.
Owned by the Department of Agriculture and Livestock, it only receives little support from the department. The Erap farm is a rundown facility receiving little government support over the years.
Despite being owned by the DAL, funding has been the major setback for the farm and the training facility for farmers. Plans for improving facilities at the farm remains in limbo for years as there are no funds available.
Utilizing the unused land area and increasing the number of new stock of animals at the existing farm are some of its major plans.
The existing farmhouses and facilities require urgent improvements and new tractors are needed to replace the old ones.The farm currently has about 400 goats and sheep and it requires more to fill up the 500 hectares of unused land area.
Being one of Papua New Guinea’s food security branches, its struggles speak a lot about the neglect by successive governments.
In the 2014 National Budget, over K300 million was allocated for the agriculture sector, however, several facilities owned by the DAL in the Morobe province remain as they are.
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