The investors were concerned over future land disputes which might affect their operations, and possibly millions of Kina in investment. “When we bring those big machines, bulldozers and machinery for farming, it will cost billions of Pesos, so once we encounter a land dispute down the line, it will affect the investors badly,” says former Philippines Department of Agriculture Secretary, Dr. Emmanuel Pinol, who leads the investor team.
PNG Today | 29 January 2023
PNG to start major rice project in Central Province
Papua New Guinea's Minister for International Trade and Investment Richard Maru is hopeful a major rice project in Kairuku in Central Province will get off the ground this year.
He says the project though will have to get the blessing from the Central Provincial Government, Kairuku District Development Authority, Hiri-Koiari DDA, impact communities, and the National Government, who own the Manumanu land at Gabadi.
Rice investors from the Philippines, who visited the project site at Gabadi recently, say millions of Kina will be needed to finance the growing of rice on a commercial scale.
Former Philippines Department of Agriculture Secretary, Dr. Emmanuel Pinol, who leads the investor team, says they will need 1, 200 hectares to start this investment.
The availability of state land and close proximity to the Hiritano Highway and electricity grid are some of the deciding factors.
This decision was reached by a group of Filipino Rice Investors, after the conclusion of a two-day field trip up the Hiritano and Magi Highways of Central Province recently.
It was all thumbs up, a gesture of confirmation that rice can be grown on a large scale in the country.
A group of investors, from the Philippines, were satisfied after visiting villages along the Hiritano Highway, from Brown River, Vanapa, Gabadi, and Agevairu, and the Rigo Rice Farm along the Magi Highway last Thursday.
Minister Richard Maru in a media statement confirmed the investors have chosen Gabadi in the Kairuku District of Central Province as the ideal location for a large-scale rice investment, under the nucleus estate concept.
Mr. Maru says rice farming is not new to the area.
He added that large-scale rice investment will see the establishment of an 800-hectare estate rice model farm and train and support local village out-grower farmers under family-owned or rice-cooperative farmers from Brown River to Vanapa, and Gabadi all the way to Bereina.
The land they are interested in to set up the 800-hectare model rice farm with all the processing facilities is the recently acquired Manumanu State land which was recently acquired by the Government through Kumul-Consolidated Holdings Limited for K34 million.
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The National | 27 January 2023
“Papua New Guinea you are blessed with a very fertile soil,” Pinol told the locals.
“It has more texture, the right amount of nutrients and importantly it’s moist and can hold water.
“This is incredible because in the Philippines, the biggest single farm owner (who is with us) owns about 38 hectares of land and he earns around K500,000 a year.
“In PNG, I understand that one person or a group or family would have hundreds to thousands hectares of land.
“Imagine the revenue we can generate if we get this project up and running?”
After several soil tests at Brown River and Vanapa, Pinol said the land was suitable for growing rice as well as other crops like corn and silage which could then be used as feed for livestock.
Although he warned that there were no guarantees that the project would work smoothly, he assured the locals that the project would change their lives.
However, the investors were concerned over future land disputes which might affect their operations, and possibly millions of Kina in investment.
“When we bring those big machines, bulldozers and machinery for farming, it will cost billions of Pesos, so once we encounter a land dispute down the line, it will affect the investors badly,” Pinol said.
Pinol, who promised to connect the Philippines and PNG through agriculture, said he hoped the two countries could foster a long lasting friendship into the future.
He said he had made a commitment to former prime miniter, Peter O’Neill, to bring investors into PNG.
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The National | 27 January 2023
LOCAL rice farmers can earn up to K17 million in a year because of the size of land that is under customary ownership, a Filipino official says.
Former Philippines agriculture secretary Emmanuel Pinol said Papua New Guinea had the potential to export rice to international markets but had been denied of that opportunity.
“Papua New Guinea you are blessed with a very fertile soil,” Pinol told the locals.
“So far, all the land we have tested are all the same.
“It has more texture, the right amount of nutrients and importantly it’s moist and can hold water.
“This is incredible because in the Philippines, the biggest single farm owner (who is with us) owns about 38 hectares of land and he earns around K500,000 a year.
“In PNG, I understand that one person or a group or family would have hundreds to thousands hectares of land.
“Imagine the revenue we can generate if we get this project up and running?”
After several soil tests at Brown River and Vanapa, Pinol said the land was suitable for growing rice as well as other crops like corn and silage which could then be used as feed for livestock.
Although he warned that there were no guarantees that the project would work smoothly, he assured the locals that the project would change their lives.
However, the investors were concerned over future land disputes which might affect their operations, and possibly millions of Kina in investment.
“When we bring those big machines, bulldozers and machinery for farming, it will cost billions of Pesos, so once we encounter a land dispute down the line, it will affect the investors badly,” Pinol said.
Pinol, who promised to connect the Philippines and PNG through agriculture, said he hoped the two countries could foster a long lasting friendship into the future.
He said he had made a commitment to former prime miniter, Peter O’Neill, to bring investors into PNG.
