24 Dec 2007

Bougainville planning to have five thousand hectares in oil palm

4:10 pm on 24 December 2007

The Government in the autonomous Papua New Guinea province of Bougainville is to seek interest in developing a five thousand hectare oil palm plantation on the west coast of the province's main island.

The CEO of the Department of Primary Industries, Patrick Koles, says the Government's economic development policy revolves around identifying key impact projects.

The oil palm project at Torakina is one of these along with plans for downstream development of the province's copra, cocoa and fish resources.

Mr Koles says they will be seeking private investors to work with landowners, who will also earn from harvesting the forests before the oil palms are planted.

"Landowners will be facilitated to earn some revenues from the clearance of forest. And we will make sure that once the forest is cleared that the oil palm is planted and basically the first phase of development will be to undertake a study, a major feasibility study."