By Eric Haurupma, EMTV News – Port Moresby
The National Identification System (NID) will help integrated landowner groups (ILG) to renew ILG certificates and customary land lease insurance for small holders.
This comes thanks to the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) today between PNG NID and the largest agricultural in the country, New Britain Palm Oil Limited (NBPOL) in Port Moresby.
Country Manager, Robert Nilkare, said NBPOL impacts 5 per cent of the agricultural business benefits to Papua New Guineans primarily engaged in the agriculture sector.
As the biggest corporation in PNG it has continuous investment in estate development and processing facilities in West New Britain, Milne Bay, Oro, Morobe and New Ireland provinces.
“Total land investment and development is around 136,268 hectares and has over 23,000 employees, most of whom are small holders,” he added.
Given the economic potential, NBPOL has considered introducing the NID system to its small and medium enterprises.
The instrument signing between NBPOL and PNGNID consolidates a public private partnership.
Under this MOU, landowners mostly farmers will use the NID card system to register their businesses and land.
National Planning Minister, Charles Abel, said this government database system generates value for the country.
Importantly it relates to the process of land registration and one aspect of this is the land reform process.
The old ILG certificates will lapse on March 27, 2017 and will then require replacements of ILG certificates with NID cards.
This is a result of the new legislative regime in place which reviewed appropriate legislation, such as the Incorporated Land Owner Group Amended Act and Land Registration Act 2014.
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