By Vasinatta Yama – EMTV News, Mt Hagen
Jiwaka Province is venturing into multi-million kina agriculture and dairy projects.
Experts from New Zealand will be in the country early next year (2019) to provide technical support to the Jiwaka Development Agency (JDA), the business arm of the provincial government.
The development agency has already signed a Memorandum of Understanding with a local cattle farm on Monday (November 5, 2018) to start the project.
In preparation for the technical team from New Zealand to arrive in PNG next year, Jiwaka Development Agency bought the first 50 cows costing K71, 000 from the Christian Leaders’ Training College in Banz, Jiwaka Province.
The cows will be looked after by CLTC, while the development agency identifies more land to have cattle farms set up in Jiwaka.
The MoA also agrees for CLTC to work in partnership with Jiwaka Development Agency to grow rice in the province.
A piece of land of about 250,000 hectares was allocated to grow the local Jiwaka Rice. And more than 600,000 seedlings of citrus fruits such as Orange and Mandarin are ready to be planted. The provincial government is also anticipating a citrus processing plant which will be built in Jiwaka for production of orange juice.
Jiwaka Governor, Dr. William Tongamp says the Province has a role to play to grow PNG’s economy, by investing in agriculture.
Dairy products such as milk and cheese will be locally produced including the growing of local rice products.
This will help reduce the importing of foreign products and exporting surplus overseas. A total of 4600 hectares of smallholder coffee plantations were identified and will be revived by the National Plantation Management Agency.
Once revived, JDA will be looking at making millions of Kina in their revenue.
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