Governor for Madang province, Ramsey Pariwa is keen on reviving the Sagalau abattoir along the north coast of Madang to help smallholder livestock producers go into downstream processing and have monies in their pockets.
The governor made this when he invited the Minister for Livestock, Sekie Agisa to Madang to sign a memorandum of agreement (MOA)on Friday, May 19, to establish downstream processing facility in Madang.
The agreement signing was witnessed by the Managing Director of the Livestock Development Corporation, Terry Koim and Madang’s Deputy Provincial Administrator, Paul Adam Ito, on behalf of the Provincial Administrator, Frank Tonges Lau, who was out of the province.
The MOA paves way for the facility to be built at the Abbatoir Station at Sagalau to process beef, pork, chicken and other livestock products to help smallholder farmers in Madang. Governor Pariwa said the facility would make it possible for Madang Province to process all its livestock products locally to export both locally and overseas.
Madang Development Corporation would manage the processing facility on behalf of the Madang Government in partnership with the Livestock Development Corporation and the Livestock Ministry.
According to the MoA, Madang Government would have a 51 percent share in the business whilst LDC would have a 49 percent benefit.
Governor Pariwa clarified that once the livestock processing facility at Sagalau is being built it would ease the burden of mothers sitting down all day long at the Madang town market selling their chicken.
The Madang Development Corporation would purchase the livestock from the local farmers at the Sagalau facility.
A similar signing will be conducted later for Agriculture which was also scheduled for the same time but was postponed to a later date due to non-availability of the Minister for Agriculture Aiye Tambua, as he was meeting his Fijian counterpart who was in the country with the Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka.
This agreement once signed, would also make way for a downstream processing facility for agriculture products such as coconut, cocoa and coffee.
Livestock Minister, Sekie Agisa commended Madang Governor, Ramsey Pariwa for the initiative, which will boost the province’s economy and provide employment opportunities for the people of Madang.
He said Madang Province has the potential to be a major agriculture and livestock powerhouse for PNG, given the political backing of Governor Pariwa and his government.
Minister Sekie stressed that what LDC is doing now is to regulate the industry so government policies can help to identify when and who will assess the implementation.
He further stated the LDC is the only entity without an Act and the creation of the separate ministry paves way for the corporation to transit into becoming an authority to regulate the livestock industry.