Western Province are visioning for an educated, healthy and wealthy future for the province.
During the launch of the Kiunga Agri-Industrial Centre and Vanilla Project Launch last Friday (30th of June) in Samagoes of North Fly District, people of Western are now aiming to turn to Agriculture as the way forward for their future.
Minister for Agriculture, Aiye Tambua, acknowledged the leaders of Western Province (WP), OTML and the Agro-Industrial Centre and Vanilla Project on behalf of the National Government.
“Now that I came I am seeing that development is changing and I would like to say thank you to the people of Western for electing the right leaders which is bringing in good services into the district. People of WP you are lucky, in PNG there is no projects like this, this would be the first. In PNG, there is no mining company or oil and gas company that puts K50 million in agriculture this is the first time,” said Tambua.
He added that most Oil and Gas companies put money towards Law and Order issues. He gave an example of Enga Province where they put aside close to K100 million for law and order.
“Why isn’t this money going to agriculture, we think that solving our issues will come from funding in Law and order issues, into police, army, machine guns and bullets, to stop what? The issue of law and order is because people’s livelihoods are not taken care of and people are in poverty. If we put K100 million in agriculture there won’t be any law and order issues,” emphasized Minister Tambua.
He said that agriculture is the future of PNG that will take care of the people and was what gave PNG Independence not oil and gas. He encouraged that the rubber from WP was the reason for Independence.
Governor for Western Province, Taboi Yoto, said that the fight between communities and the Mine was a long gone situation in the past and now was the time to stand hand-in hand and work together to toil the land.
“We don’t want to fight, we want to hold hands and work together to bring development into the Province. The leaders of Western province sat and we thought what do we do when the Mine closes? Are we ready to stand on our own two feet?” stated Yoto.
Governor Yoto as well as members from districts in North Fly, South Fly, Middle Fly and Delta Fly came up with a vision to have an educated, healthy and wealthy province for the future.