MINISTER MARU WELCOMES INVESTIGATION IN ENBPOL

By Vonu Libitino, Pom

THE Minister for International Trade and Investment has welcomed the National Executive Council (NEC) approved investigation into the East New Britain Palm Oil Limited (ENBPOL).

Minister Richard Maru made this known in a press conference today at the Ministry of International Trade and Investment HQ at the Kina Haus in downtown Port Moresby.

The investigation will delve into claims from oil palm farmers that they had to stop selling their oil palm, after been paid K16 per metric ton in the last 10 years.

To address this, the National Government, through the NEC has now approved the establishment of an investigation team to dig into ENBPOL dealings and business conduct towards the local oil palm growers in the Gazelle Peninsula in East New Britain.

The local oil palm farmers, when comparing the K700 per metric ton that their fellow farmers in West New Britain receive, claim that the company has been robbing them.

The NEC has appointed an oil palm industry expert Mr Nicholas Thompson as the chairman of the investigation team.

Other members of the investigation team include

1. Lawyer – Mr Tony Waisi

2. Economist – Mr Daniel Koiak.

3. PNG Customs Services Chief Commissioner – Mr. David Towe

4. Secretary to the Investigation Team – Ms Veronica Weiang.

Minister Maru said they cannot allow foreign companies to behave like this, as the people have claimed.

“They could have been robbing them of millions of Kina.

“While this is what the Farmers are claiming, the national government will be doing an investigation to hear both sides and look at how they can resolve these problems in the long term.

“This may just be the tip of the iceberg on the rot in the industry when it comes to landowner benefit, from the development of their land and their sweat and labour.

“The government has to act so we can get a far better package to encourage more people to free up land for oil palm development.

“The investigation team will report back to the NEC on the progress of the investigation in the next six weeks,” Minister Maru said.

He said after the completion of the initial investigations in the Gazelle Peninsula, the investigation team will investigate complaints from oil palm farmers in other areas of the country including the Ribunan Hijau’s 60 000 active oil palm development in Pomio District in the ENB.