Minister for International Trade and Investment, Hon. Richard Maru and the Governor for Sandaun, Hon. Tony Wouwou agreed yesterday that the National Government through the Ministry of International Trade and Investment would fund the bore water supply system and sort out land proposed for the Trade Centre at Wutung while the Provincial Government would get the powerlines from Vanimo to Wutung.
“PNG Power Limited had failed us by not getting the powerlines from Vanimo and Wutung though we released funds for that when I was the Minister for National Planning and Monitoring in 2018,” said Minister Maru.
Minister Maru urged the Provincial Government to start working on the powerlines as soon as possible.
“Start the powerline project now so we can get some action going to show that we are serious,” said Minister Maru.
Minister Maru, during his visit to the Wutung Border Post yesterday said that the Border Post had to be sorted out to enable trade and investment with the country’s closest neighbour, Indonesia.
“Water and power supply must reach Wutung for the place to operate so we can produce the goods to sell to Indonesia. We currently do not have anything to sell in big quantities so we cannot sign any trade agreement with them; when we have the goods then we can trade with Indonesia so they sell their goods to us and we sell our goods to them. There has to be trade balance so we can benefit from the trade agreement. We must trade so that we can create employment opportunities for our youths in Vanimo but we will trade only when we are producing goods to trade so we can benefit. We cannot sign a deal that is one sided. We must produce our goods so we sell K1 and they sell K1 to us for a balanced trade, otherwise we do not have a trade. And we must have the enabling infrastructure to make it happen, for example, the industrial zone, processing zone, water supply and power supply,” said Minister Maru.
The Customs officers at Wutung Border Post reported that most of the products that the Indonesians were buying from Papua New Guineans at the border were PNG beer, coca cola, twisties, biscuits, ox and palm, frozen chicken, lamb flaps and fresh cattle meat.
“We have huge potential and a huge market, and there is also big potential in the chicken and cattle industry. These (chicken and cattle industries) are things that we must do to produce goods to trade to the other side (Indonesia), apart from the industrial park. The raw potential is there but it needs to be developed,” said Minister Maru.
Meanwhile, the first Trade Meeting between Indonesia and Papua New Guinea will be held next year to discuss agendas like security, bio security, trade and investment, type of goods to trade, currency, and shipping and air service agreement. Sandaun Provincial Government agreed with Minister Maru for a possible flight route between the two countries to be from Makassar in Indonesia to Vanimo, Lae, Port Moresby and back because Makassar was where more trade was happening while Bali is only a tourism destination.
“All these issues will be discussed during the Trade Meeting and I am sure that buying power from Indonesia will also be discussed,” said Minister Maru.
