Photo credit: Destination Papua New Guinea
Prime Minister James Marape made a call for Papua New Guinea’s livestock industry to be revived urgently for import replacement as well as to be an exporter. Marape, in a press statement said Papua New Guinea once had a thriving cattle industry that was started in the colonial days by experienced Australian cattle owners.
“Once upon a time, the Highlands Highway from Mt. Hagen to Lae was filled with cattle on the roadside,” he recalled.
“Starting at Corn Farm outside Mt. Hagen to six-mile outside Lae, you could find thousands of cattle. Sadly, since independence in 1975, PNG’s cattle numbers have dropped to an all-time low. Settlers moved in on State land used for cattle and abattoirs,” he said.
Marape said his government had directed the Livestock Development Corporation (LDC) to make a move in taking back all the state land occupied by settlers and use it to rebuild Papua New Guinea’s cattle industry.
The State Land Reclamation Project was launched by former Minister for Agriculture and Livestock, John Simon at Corn Farm at the border of Western Highlands and Jiwaka last December.
Marape said the newly appointed Minister for the new Ministry of Livestock, Hon. Seki Agisa would ensure that what Simon left off was continued and also to ensure that areas like his own province of Western, which had so much grassland, could be used to raise cattle with Indonesia and Australia just next door.
“He will be given the necessary budget support to unleash the full potential of the livestock industry in our country,” said Marape.
