By CHRISTOPHER YANDAWAI
THE National Government through the Ministry of Livestock for the first time will start constructing a total of four (4) livestock Post Entry Quarantine (PEQ) facilities throughout the country.
Western, Central, Morobe and East Sepik Provinces were identified as ideal locations back in 2021 to construct these PEQ facilities.
These facilities will be built at a total cost of K20 million with each PEQ facility costing K5 million.
Yesterday in Port Moresby, Minister for Livestock Hon. Sekie Agisa was privileged to officiate at the initial funding presentation of the construction of first PEQ facility in Oriomo-Bituri Rural LocaL Level Government of South-Fly District, Daru, Western Province.
This PEQ facility will be named “Oriomo Post Entry Quarantine” and once completed, it will be used as a laboratory to ensure imported livestock are disease free.
This is the government agenda that the Livestock Development Corporation (LDC) through the Ministry of Livestock is vigorously pushing for to deliver successfully.
LDC Managing Director Terry Koim said the Marape-Rosso Government made a decision in 2021 tasking LDC to rollout the construction of these PEQ facilities.
He said the government made available some funding in 2021 based on NEC decision, however, that money didn’t reach the industry on time due to 2022 election preparations.
“In 2023, they decided to release some funds for this, thus we will start building these facilities with first one to be constructed in Daru, Western Province.
“The “Post Entry Quarantine” is a facility that is set up to make sure any livestock that you want to bring into PNG will have to pass through the PEQ so that any trace of pest or disease that is going to be transmitted from the host country into PNG is properly treated,” Mr. Koim explains.
“We need to setup these PEQ facilities because we will bring in the cattle for two purposes.
“First being for slaughtering to provide beef to meet our domestic demand, which is like 16000 tonnes every year.
“Once this becomes success, we will then upgrade the protocol of the importation of breeders that will be used for breeding and distribute to the farmers nationwide,” the LDC MD said.
He further added that once these facilities are delivered, PNG will for the first time do away with the importation of meat products at a cost of about K450 million every year.
“For forty-eight years, nobody figure out how to do this thing and we keep on spending K450 million every year, importing meat products from other countries.
“Other countries are feeding us, instead of us feeding ourselves,” he said.
On behalf of the LDC and board, Mr. Koim thanked the government for its bold decision and pledged his support to work together with Minister Agisa, to ensure these PEQ facilities are delivered for the benefit of the country.
YFIG Group of Companies that specializes in building construction will be constructing the Oriomo PEQ facility in Daru.
A cheque of K250, 000 was presented to the company to commence the mobilization work for the proposed Oriomo PEQ facility.
Meanwhile, the board and management of LDC presented a new dinghy and a brand new car (Five-door) to the Ministry of Livestock to help assist the construction work of Oriomo PEQ facility.
