Simbu farming projects to promote self-reliance
Copyright 2000 The
Independent (PNG)
December 21, 2000
THE Simbu province is headed towards self-reliance of chicken and sheep meat as the provincial government has expressed interest in supporting animal farming in the province.
The Ambane-Kultu government has made its intentions known to the people that they want to promote incentives for self-reliance in the province and the onus is on the people to pursue appropriate projects.
Fr Ambane informed visitors and people when he launched the Gere Sheep project that his government would continue to push for animal farming in the province because it believed the province had the potential for such projects.
‘I want people to use their own hands and to have animals and food on their own land,’ said Fr Ambane.
He added that his government had five years to pursue this project and by then many related projects such as the one at Gere would have been established and operational.
Fr Ambane said people have always looked at other means of making money because other people have been successful rather than looking at what they have to make money.
He said people must train themselves to acknowledge what they have within the parameters of their villages and projects they are familiar with so that they can utilise their skills.
‘I want the people of Simbu to seriously realise what the government is doing for them and they must participate in these economic development projects, because Simbu is the last province in PNG when it comes to revenue generating sources,’ Fr Ambane said.
He added that the New Zealand government had expressed interest in assisting the province and the onus was on the people to take up the challenge.
He said the visit by Nick Morrison from the Perfect Poultry Products Industries of New Zealand showed that there was interest by companies there to assist interested farmers.
Fr Ambane also thanked Mr Morrison for supplying the much needed machines to assist the farmers in slaughtering the animals.
Mr Morrison in response said after the brief inspection the facilities were now ready to be completed and he wished the operators every success in the project.
He however reiterated his company’s commitment in assisting the farmers stating that there was a lot of potential in the industry and they would assist wherever necessary.