Development

BuSiness and

Bubia plans [?]o circumvent [?]the cow

From AAP correspondent JOHN MANCY, in Lae Agricultural scientists near ere are carrying out a unique eries of experiments to isolate ure protein from native grasses nd tree leaves.

HHE researchers hope to develop a L cheap means of extracting -otein which could then be used to Dlster the nutritional value of the llage diet.

“Our experiments aim to circum ;nt the cow, and produce an easily isimilated form of protein which ould sell for as little as 10 cents lb“, Mr. John Hughes, manager Bubia Agricultural Experimental entre, near Lae, told a visiting am of journalists.

Mr. Hughes said research being irried out at Bubia was the only oject of its kind in the world at esent. Attempts to obtain com ercial quantities of protein from garcane leaves in Jamaica had oved unsuccessful, and only initial rveys of protein extraction prospects id been made in Ghana.

Other projects

The Bubia centre is also perfecting sans of extracting essential oils— ed for perfumes—from aromatic asses, flowers and seed heads.

Other pilot projects are being dertaken in the cultivation of pper, nutmeg, tumeric and vanilla.

TTie Bubia researchers ultimately pe to interest villagers in planting sir own small crops. But much search remains to be done before ciding which crops have the ightest commercial prospects in jw Guinea’s tropical environment.

Mr. Hughes told journalists in scting the protein extraction site it villagers had shown‘“a definite sd for protein”.

He had baked a quantity of bread )m pure protein extracted from isses and tropical legumes grown Bubia and given it to native

children. Despite the bread’s un attractive appearance and taste, they had eaten it with gusto.

A protein extraction unit invented by world famous British agricultural scientist, Dr. W. Pirie, was imported to New Guinea for the Bubia project.

Dr. Pirie visited New Guinea about three years ago.

Mr. Hughes said he envisaged villagers growing their crop of high protein content grasses and selling it to the centre, which would then extract the pure protein.

Mr. Hughes said there was a con siderable world demand for essential oils. Aromatic grasses imported from Brazil and other countries were being tested for their adaptability to New Guinea conditions. The grasses were a source of vitamin as well as oils used in the production of detergents, perfumes and synthetic methols. The aim at Bubia was to utilise all the by-products.

Lysaght plants for

New Guinea, Fiji

JOHN Lysaght (Australia) Ltd., with partners, will set up plants in New Guinea and Fiji to process high strength sheet steel cladding for the building industry.

The managing director of John Lysaght, Mr. H. J. Pearce, said in August that the Fiji plant would operate by the end of the year and two New Guinea plants by early next year.

In New Guinea, roll forming facil ities would be built at Lae and Port Moresby by a company with an authorised capital of $500,000, to be formed jointly by G.K.S. Pty. Ltd., a subsidiary of Sicklinger Holdings, and John Lysaght (Australia) Ltd.

Mr. Pearce said the new company, John Lysaght (New Guinea) Pty, Ltd., would produce high strength galvanized steel roofing and walling for all the territory’s needs. As the enterprise developed the manufacture of associated products might be in cluded in its activities.

The managing director of John Lysaght (New Guinea) Pty. Ltd. would be Mr. G. Sicklinger of G.K.S., while John Lysaght (Aus tralia) Ltd., would contribute tech nical know-how, training and pro duct development. Technical per sonnel would be made available to assist promotion.

In Fiji, roll forming facilities would

be set up at Suva by a company with an authorised capital of £F225,000, to be formed jointly by John Lysaght (Australia) Ltd., W. R. Carpenter Ltd., and Burns Philp (South Seas) Ltd.

Mr. Pearce said the new company, John Lysaght (South Pacific) Ltd., would produce sufficient high strength galvanized steel roofing and walling for Fiji’s needs and export markets.

The manufacture of other associ ated products might be included as the company developed.

Both countries would produce custom-cut steel of extremely high strength with a yield point of around 100,000 lbs. per sq. inch.

Copra market trends

for August

DEPUTY chairman of the P-NG Copra -Marketing Board, Mr.

K. G. Oliver reporting on world copra price trends in Port Moresby on August 21, said that continuation of fairly strong prices throughout July resulted in the monthly average copra price being set by the London Copra Association at £Stg.72/12/6 for shipments during August.

However, he said, during the last week of July there was a downward trend in the prices and this con tinued into the early days of August, so that indications were for a Sep

jmber shipment price of around Stg.7o/-/- c.i.f. UK/Continent.

Mr. Oliver added: “Reports from London indicate lat very little business is being onducted in the oils and oilseeds mrket, so that such prices as are uoted are only nominal and not a ue guide.

“On world markets, the present end in the US soya complex is •wards improving prices, and should lis occur the effect will be felt over fairly wide field, although most rongly in the US.

“Latest developments in the igerian civil war are also fairly :rtain to exert some firming pres ire, as are poorer crop prospects >r the sunflower-seed industry in astern Europe. In Nigeria the war is now carried over into the west, id there is a strong possibility that ipments of groundnuts oil and eal, as well as palm kernels, will ; jeopardised even more than pre ously expected.

“In the second half of the year e sharp decline in Nigerian and negalese shipments will only be irtially offset by larger supplies 3m South Africa, the Sudan, and issibly Brazil, so that prices should main relatively high.”

iloomy SPSM

Ligar report

20 per cent, drop in profits and a fall in production of sugar re the main points of a rather 3omy picture painted by South cific Sugar Mills Ltd., of Fiji, in report for the year ended March , 1967.

Net profit was £745,459 —cornred with £932,184 for the previous ir.

Dividend payments of 1\ per cent., ailing £693,750, were held at the ;vious year’s level but were barely /ered by profits.

Production of 303,800 tons of raw ?ar in 1966 was well down on the son’s target (350,000 tons) and well ow the capacity of the mills, ectors said.

Fhey blamed the drop in produc ti on abnormally dry weather ex ienced during the growth of the •p, despite it having been well tivated and tended. fhey said sugar prices on the world e market had dropped to a post r record low of £Stg.l2/5/- in luary, 1967, and remained low for eral months. The Middle East ir caused a rise to £Stg.32, but i was short lived ,and the price 3d recently at £Stg.lB/5/-. ‘ln view of the rising quantity of

Fiji sugar to be sold in future on the basis of the world price it is of special importance to Fiji that arrangements be made for the early negotiation of an effective Inter national Sugar Agreement which will provide for fair export quotas and a reasonably remunerative price on the world market,” the report said.

The directors forecast that because of similar crop circumstances and lack of full use of the company’s capacity and plant the prospects for the sugar industry in 1967-68 would be much the same as those for the past year.

Only firm increases in both produc tion and the world price would en able the company to achieve profits consistent with its investment in plant, buildings and equipment.

Bougainville copper

deposits huge

CONZINC RIOTINTO of Australia Limited has doubled its estimate of copper reserves on Bougainville.

In an interim report in August, directors said that the reserves proved so far totalled 200 million tons of ore carrying an average grade of 0.63 per cent, copper and 0.58 dwt of gold per ton.

This compared with “at least” 90 million tons of copper, stated by the chairman of CRA, Sir Maurice Mawby, in April ( PIM, May, p. 131).

The latest estimate could also be conservative because, the report says, “mineralisation is known to continue below 1,000 ft but the extent is unknown”.

A CRA spokesman told PIM in

August the latest estimate of ores meant the copper reserve’s monetary value doubled from S6OO million to $1,200 million.

He said the company hoped to begin open-cut mining by the end of 1968 if preparations went as planned and there were no “un foreseen difficulties”.

“The grade of the Bougainville copper is higher than that found at Mt. Isa in Queensland and compares with the huge African mines,” he said.

Work begins on

Fiji copper mill

WORK on a copper ore processing mill to produce 200 tons of crude copper ore a day commenced at the northern-most tip of Fiji’s Vanua Levu island in August.

The mill is being built for the Daiwa Mining Company Ltd., of Tokyo, which holds mining rights over extensive areas of the island, Fiji’s second largest.

Good deposits of copper ore have been discovered by the company in surveys over the past two years, the company already having stock-piled ore for processing in its new plant.

A Fiji construction firm is to be appointed to handle the mill con struction. When the mine is in full production it will employ up to 70 local men.

Copper concentrate from the mill will be shipped to Japan for pro cessing, in Japanese ships. An asso ciated company, the Daiwa Line, already operates a monthly cargo service from Japan to Fiji and the

South Pacific, usually back-loading with nickel ore from New Caledonia.

The shipping company has for some time been negotiating for an addition to its fleet, presumably to help handle the large shipments of copper ore expected from Fiji.

More P-NG tea

land available

THE Administration of Papua- New Guinea has invited public applications for a lease over 4,625 acres of land in the Southern High lands for tea cultivation.

The area for lease comprises four blocks ranging from 1,000 to 1,200

acres in the Pangia area, about 36 miles south of Mt. Hagen in the Western Highlands.

The blocks are Wiowei, Tengai, Pomba and Apenda. They are the first of the Pangia tealands to be offered for lease.

“This is another major move towards the development of a tea industry in the Southern Highlands,”

Mr. D. S. Grove, P-NG Director of Lands, said in August.

“We expect to offer more land in the future when purchases are finalised”

Mr. Grove said the Administration had promoted tea in high-altitude dis tricts of P-NG.

The four Pangia blocks were at

altitudes of 5,000 to 5,500 ft—; favourable height for high qualit; tea crops.

The blocks could economically sup port a factory with a capacity to pro cess one million pounds of made te a year within six years, and thre million pounds of made tea afte eight years.

Mr. Grove said tea cultivation wa doing well in the Western Highland —in the Eastern Highlands his de partment had started the initial stage of buying land suitable for growin tea.

NZ may lose

case business

WESTERN SAMOA’S growing ir dependence from New Zealan commercial ties bore its first bi dividend with the arrival in Apia z the end of July of 40,000 banan cases and 10,000 taro cases fror Portugal.

The cases have yet to be tried i the field but Director of Agriculture Mr. T. M. S. Cunliffe, expressed him self pleased with their appearance If they do prove satisfactory, all case in future, according to Minister c Agriculture Laufili Time, will b bought from Portugal.

This will mean a loss to New Ze* land of an annual market worth we over half a million dollars, bi Samoan growers and politiciar don’t hold much sympathy for Ne’

Zealand millers. Almost all cases ha\ in the past been imported from Ne Zealand, landing at 6/10 each. TE banana cases from Portugal land fc 4/8 and the taro cases for 3/K When the news broke in New Zei land that Samoa was considering bm ing Portuguese cases at a saving c over 30 per cent, the New Zealan suppliers stated they would try to mei the competition. They have no come down to a price fairly close t the Portuguese.

“That’s all very well,” commente Prime Minister Mata’afa, “But wh; about the past 10 years?”

First 1 Tongan

vanilla exports

THE first shipment of Tongs vanilla beans, 70 lb at a r ported price of $4.50 a lb, has bee exported to a Melbourne buyer.

A spokesman for the Departmei of Agriculture in Tonga said tl shipment would be followed soon I larger lots.

Early this year Australian buye sampled Tongan vanilla beans ar said they compared favourably wil beans from Madagascar and Tahi ( PIM , Aug., p. 127).