PGR News from the Pacific

Posted 2:35 PM by Tevita

Cassava biofuel project on positive outlook

From : Didinet Issue 4, 2008

The multi-million kina cassava biofuel project in the Central Province has commenced the first phase of commercialising the cultivation of cassava.

A field day was organised recently at the project site in the Launakalana area of Rigo District to showcase the collaborative efforts by the Papua New Guinea Government and the Korean investor, Changhae Group, which gave birth to a pioneering industry in the country and may one day see PNG become a major player in the biofuel arena in the region.

Senior officials from the Department of Agriculture and Livestock (DAL), Central Provincial Administration, Department of Trade and Industry, Changhae Group, National Agricultural Research Institute (NARI) and community leaders attended the field day.

Prime Minister Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare officiated at the ground breaking ceremony at Bore village in the Rigo area on April 19, 2007, and since then the investor and stakeholders have been working patiently to commence operations.

At the field day, villagers and visitors were shown the progress that has been made so far. Led by DAL and Central Provincial Administration with technical advice from NARI and visiting cassava experts brought in by Changhae, a nursery has been established to plant nine selected varieties. From the nursery work on replication and multiplication of the nine varieties, the seedlings will be transferred to the company estate at Bore and also distributed to surrounding areas for out-grower and smallholder plantings. Associated facilities and infrastructure, including equipment, have been set up at the Bore estate and additional technical staff will soon arrive to take up various duties.

Changhae has plans to develop over 20,000 hectares of land in Launakalana for its nucleus plantations. In addition, it will encourage, to the extent possible, local farmers to grow and supply cassava to the company. High yielding varieties of cassava will be selected and made available to the farmers for cultivation. The farmers will grow cassava and process it into chips by cleaning, chopping and drying them in the sun. These dried chips can be stored for longer periods before they are sold to Changhae, which will initially export to Korea and other countries for processing into ethanol. The second phase of the project will see the setting up of an ethanol plant adjacent to the nucleus plantation where the chips will be processed locally into ethanol and sold to overseas markets.



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DIVA-GIS	Monday, March 03, 2008 Posted 2:35 PM by Tevita Cassava biofuel project on positive outlook From : Didinet Issue 4, 2008 The multi-million kina cassava biofuel project in the Central Province has commenced the first phase of commercialising the cultivation of cassava. A field day was organised recently at the project site in the Launakalana area of Rigo District to showcase the collaborative efforts by the Papua New Guinea Government and the Korean investor, Changhae Group, which gave birth to a pioneering industry in the country and may one day see PNG become a major player in the biofuel arena in the region. Senior officials from the Department of Agriculture and Livestock (DAL), Central Provincial Administration, Department of Trade and Industry, Changhae Group, National Agricultural Research Institute (NARI) and community leaders attended the field day. Prime Minister Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare officiated at the ground breaking ceremony at Bore village in the Rigo area on April 19, 2007, and since then the investor and stakeholders have been working patiently to commence operations. At the field day, villagers and visitors were shown the progress that has been made so far. Led by DAL and Central Provincial Administration with technical advice from NARI and visiting cassava experts brought in by Changhae, a nursery has been established to plant nine selected varieties. From the nursery work on replication and multiplication of the nine varieties, the seedlings will be transferred to the company estate at Bore and also distributed to surrounding areas for out-grower and smallholder plantings. Associated facilities and infrastructure, including equipment, have been set up at the Bore estate and additional technical staff will soon arrive to take up various duties. Changhae has plans to develop over 20,000 hectares of land in Launakalana for its nucleus plantations. In addition, it will encourage, to the extent possible, local farmers to grow and supply cassava to the company. High yielding varieties of cassava will be selected and made available to the farmers for cultivation. The farmers will grow cassava and process it into chips by cleaning, chopping and drying them in the sun. These dried chips can be stored for longer periods before they are sold to Changhae, which will initially export to Korea and other countries for processing into ethanol. The second phase of the project will see the setting up of an ethanol plant adjacent to the nucleus plantation where the chips will be processed locally into ethanol and sold to overseas markets. * Comments: Post a Comment	Archive October 2002 November 2002 December 2002 January 2003 February 2003 March 2003 April 2003 May 2003 June 2003 July 2003 August 2003 September 2003 October 2003 November 2003 December 2003 January 2004 February 2004 March 2004 April 2004 May 2004 June 2004 July 2004 August 2004 September 2004 October 2004 November 2004 December 2004 January 2005 February 2005 March 2005 April 2005 May 2005 June 2005 July 2005 August 2005 September 2005 October 2005 November 2005 December 2005 January 2006 February 2006 March 2006 April 2006 May 2006 June 2006 July 2006 August 2006 September 2006 October 2006 November 2006 December 2006 January 2007 February 2007 March 2007 April 2007 May 2007 June 2007 July 2007 August 2007 September 2007 October 2007 November 2007 December 2007 January 2008 February 2008 March 2008 April 2008 May 2008 June 2008 July 2008 August 2008 September 2008 October 2008 November 2008 December 2008 January 2009 February 2009 March 2009 April 2009 May 2009 June 2009 July 2009 August 2009 September 2009 October 2009 November 2009 January 2010 RSS Feed Alternative feed Contact Tevita Something new: Agrobiodiversity Weblog: For discussions of conservation and sustainable use of the genetic resources of crops, livestock and their wild relatives. 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