Caption: (L) Troy Tetley and NCD Governor
Parkop with the signed service agreement.
Caption: (L) Troy Tetley and NCD Governor
Parkop.
Caption: Selling of
betelnut will be similar to the way it is sold in Cairns at Rusty’s Market in a
more hygienic setting (picture courtesy of http://davidtng.files.wordpress.com).
By
MATTHEW VARI
IN a
positive turn of fate for avid betelnut chewers in the National Capital
District- the sale of betelnut will now be back in a regulated fashion
following the signing of a Service Agreement between the city’s authority and
Askopina Limited.
The new
arrangement follows the third phase of the NCD Commission’s crackdown on the
abuse of the nut in the city of Port Moresby- to regulate the sale of the nut
in a more hygienic manner at the same time maintaining revenue and income
opportunities for those that have depended on it as a source of income prior to
the ban.
Askopina
will now be the sole authorize wholesale buyer and reseller to strict licensed
vendors in a first of its kind arrangement to control the consumption, rubbish,
and spittle long associated with its sale and consumption in the city.
With the
service agreement, the company will construct a factory where the nuts bought
from producers will be husked and sealed in airtight packages for sale through
the cottage industry concept.
The
arrangement follows the first two stages of the engagement of city rangers and
setting up of roadblocks since being first initiated from 2009.
NCD Governor
Powes Parkop stressed that it did not mean that the ban was lifted, and said
that the arrangement was for the sake for producers who he said were hard hit
by the ban and also the smuggling of the nut through the black-market was cheating
them of proper sale revenue.
“The
success, failures, or limitations of the strategy is clear, and I want to say
that it is still a success despite the smuggling that continues,” Governor
Parkop said.
“This
arrangement will control the smuggling with growers given a fair price then
what is being given to them to smuggle it in.”
“If it
wasn’t for our people in Central and Gulf Provinces I would not venture into
this agreement.”
“In terms
of the spitting that is going on we have observed that vehicles are the main
culprits and we now have an arrangement with MVIL and the Road Safety Council
that will see fines being charged at roadblocks for those chewing in moving
vehicles.”
Parkop
revealed that the concept had the full backing of growers from both provinces
affected with the endorsement of the NCDC board.
Managing
Director of Askopina Limited Troy Tetley thanked Governor Parkop, the board,
and management of NCDC for their confidence in his company to deliver.
“With your
confidence we aim to achieve the goals of keeping the city clean, to use the
nut to alleviate poverty through the cottage concept where betelnut can be sold
amongst other goods, and finally to give opportunities for those in the
informal sector to make that transition into the formal business sector,”
Tetley said.
Tetley also
extended an invitation to those NGOs, aid agencies, and interested groups to
come on board to work with the company tailor the arrangement to benefit all.
“We will
begin this arrangement on the first of August which will see a two month
rollout period commence,” he said.
“License
applications will be accepted for eligibility on October first with 500
licenses available initially for a total of 2,000 to be issued as the
arrangement progresses.”
“The
spinoff benefits of the arrangement will see 60 to 70 jobs created for the
factory construction, and once in full production 180 individuals will be
employed- not to mention the 16,000 beneficiaries from both Central and Gulf as
a result of the arrangement.”
Mr Tetley added
that is the meantime while the husking factory is constructed- the sale of
betelnut will be packaged along with the skin for the first six months.
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