INITIAL WORK BEGINS ON TURUBU PROJECT

[The National, Thursday, August 6, 2009]

INITIAL work on the proposed multi-million kina Turubu Oil Palm project near Wewak, East Sepik province, started this week following the arrival of heavy equipment from China.
On the ship that arrived at Turubu Bay where the company employees were camping, were five bulldozers, five trucks and an excavator.
The latest fleet’s cargoes bring the total to 41 machines but company officials said they would bring another 62 pieces of machinery to complete work on the freeway from Turubu village to Samawia on the Sepik Plain, construct the wharf at Turubu and build the township at Samawia.
Project liaison officer Godfried Raussem said work on the first phase of the project five weeks behind schedule due to customary obligation but commended the people of Turubu village for the understanding in opening the door to development.
The machines started work on the freeway at Turubu on Tuesday and would reach Samawia on the Sepik Plain where the oil palm township would be built.
Mr Raussem said the freeway was in line with the East Sepik provincial government’s Sepik Plain Development Policy 2001 which called for a parallel highway to the Sepik River.
Turubu local level government president David Kausik also thanked the people of Turubu village for the part in opening the door to one of the fastest agricultural projects in the region.
The K180 million project would cover a total land area of 121000ha with 56 major oil palm plantations.
The project would be developed by Wewak Agriculture Development Ltd and its joint venture partner and landowner company Limawo Holdings.