Tomala: Don’t sell land

Source:

By ELLEN TIAMU

LAND in and around the Lae metropolitan area is becoming rare and traditional landowners have been urged to weigh the economical and social implications of their actions before they lease their land.
Morobe administrator Kemasang Tomala said more companies were opening businesses in Lae as well as more in other parts of the province where mining projects are.
He said these business ventures were sure to bring huge economic benefits to the province.
Tomala said local landowners should also be ready to tap into this upsurge in economic times but also weigh the benefits of keeping them.
Speaking at Buhalu village in the Nawaeb district on Monday, Tomala urged local landowners to look after their land and not sell them unnecessarily.
Much land around the city had been leased out to settlers from other provinces and had become breeding grounds for criminal and criminal activities because many who lived there were unemployed.
Tomala said some landowners, out for a fast buck, lease out blocks of land to anyone and in turn were unable to control the problems caused by the settlements.
He also urged the locals to retain some land for their children’s use in future.
Some major business projects coming up in Morobe are the K6 million Markham oil palm project and the establishment of two more fish processing canneries in Lae.
The discoveries of more gold in Wau and Bulolo would also extend the life of the mine by another 20 years while gold and copper found at Timini and Wafi has a life span of 30 years.

The National Newspaper 15 September2010