Buffalo Farming

Png To Boost Water

Water buffaloes are to be bred in Papua New Guinea on a large scale for the first time.

The all-purpose Asian beast has been promoted in several parts of the country to improve villagers’ self-reliance in food-growing and cash-cropping.

Buffaloes like cattle, they are not indigenous to PNG are slowly gaining acceptance as work animals and as sources of meat as a side benefit.

Now, in a plan backed by the Asian Development Bank, relatively huge numbers are ex pected to take over the grasslands of the East Sepik, one of the country’s poorest ana least-developed areas.

Potentially very productive, the rather soggy grasslands proved to be only marginally worthwhile for cat tle raising, although the foothills ris ing from the plains were a suitable home for beef herds.

But buffaloes, over the past 10 or 12 years of experiments, have shown themselves clearly superior to the

cattle in adapting to the grasslands.

They have had a higher calving rate, faster growth and have reached maturity earlier.

The ADB has now lent SUS 1.645 million to set up 88 small-holder village buffalo farms over the next six years.

A nucleus farm will begin the pro ject, using 5,500 hectares of govern ment land adjacent to the Sepik Plains Livestock Station at Urimo.

The present experimental herd of 600 buffaloes will be increased by 2,000 imported breeders.

During the first six years, the turn-off will be maximised so that about 3,500 will be distributed to small-holders.

Each small-holder farm will be supplied with 41 head. These will be 20 breeders, 20 steers and a bull.

The steers are for use after the first three years so they can be sold to give an income.

Credit for each small-holder farm will be about K. 3,500.

A buffalo population of 150,-

000-200,000 could be supported on the East Sepik grasslands, the bank and the government believe, de pending on the amount of pasture management and improvement.

Heavy chemical

factory for Fiji

A Fiji company plans to build a huge heavy chemical industry com plex at Lautoka. Mr Prabhulal Raniga, 42, a Nadi pharmacist, managing director of the promoting company, said about 150 people would be employed, and the country would save about $1 million each year in foreign exchange.

The first stage of the project, cost ing about S 3 million, on the Hous ing Authority’s Tavakubu subdivi sion, will involve the production of superphosphate, alum sulphuric and oleum. In the second stage alum and sulphuric acid will be used to develop a pulp and paper industry.

Mr Raniga said two chemical engineers and a general admin istrator would go to Fiji from India for the project. The remainder of the staff would be local and trained on the job. When the company was properly established he wanted to get the Fijian people involved in it.