Photo: Ilimo Dairy Farm. Credit: LR Group
There is a need to build two more dairy farms in the country since Papua New Guinea is still importing around K300 million worth of milk products into the country. Minister for International Trade Relations and Investment, Richard Maru said this when emphasizing on the need to bring in more investors into the country last week during the appointment of his acting Secretary.
Minister Maru said that the only Dairy Farm in the country is the Ilimo Dairy Farm outside Port Moresby which has saved the country K100 million in imports in a year and the farm has also created up to 500 job opportunities for Papua New Guineans, However PNG is still importing K300 million worth of milk products and the Minister has said that his Ministry and Department will make sure that two new dairy farms will be built in Morobe and East Sepik.
"We have been importing dairy products until we brought in the technology from Israel to set up the dairy farm in Ilimo and we have saved K100 million in dairy exports annually and also created 500 jobs but we are still importing K300 million worth of milk products, so we need to build two more Dairy Farms",
"This Department will make sure that by next year we will build two more Dairy Farms, one in East Sepik and the other in Morobe so in the next two years we will finally cease all these imports". Minister Maru said.
He added that the new Ministry of International Trade Relations and Investment is an important and Vital ministry that needs to be funded.
"We should know the importance and role of the Ministry and the need for this Ministry to be funded for our recurrent and capital",
Minister Maru further stated that he will look for partners around the world to come into the country and invest.
Meanwhile The Department of International Trade Relations and Investment had also announced the appointment of its acting Secretary Jacinta Waraku Manau who will head the new Department of International Trade Relations and Investment while James Joshua who was also appointed will lead as the Chairman of the Securities Commission.
