Six roads indentified as needing work to help coffee growers

SIX impassable roads in the Highlands have been identified for Government to work on to allow access to rural-based coffee farmers.
The industry coordination committee (ICC) overseeing the Productive Partnerships in Agricultural Project (PPAP) identified these roads:

• 74km Tabigua Station-Koinambe Station (Jimi, Jiwaka);
• 18km Keu-Elimbari-Siane-Keu (Chuave, Simbu);
• 10km Yulip-Maramb and 20km Yulip-Nenembus (Kompiam, Enga)
• 30km Maupini-Wala (Pangia, Southern Highlands); and,
• 50km Lufa Station-Unavi via Gouno road (Lufa, Eastern Highlands).

This link will service more than 50,000 growers in Crater Mountain, a tri-border area where Eastern Highlands, Chimbu and Gulf meet.
ICC chairman Ian Mopafi, pictured, says the unavailability of accessible roads has been the main obstacle against efforts to meet coffee production targets set by the national Government.

“Rural roads in all parts of the country, including coffee-growing provinces, have deteriorated and become impassable,” he said.

“This is making it difficult for 80 per cent of between three and four million growers who are concentrated in the countryside to transport their coffee to the market.

“This is the same story in all the places.

“Growers have come to treat coffee as a social tree because they don’t see the economic value in it.”

The identifying of these roads was done following an invitation by Minister for National Planning and Monitoring Richard Maru to identify key roads for consideration in the 2018-2022 Third Medium Term Development (MTD) Plan.

The invitation was given during the National Planning Consultative Summit in Lae in March this year.

“We can encourage our growers to improve their gardens and to produce better quality coffee, but if there is no road and market access facilities, our effort will become meaningless,” Mopafi said.

Source: The National PNG

OK Tedi announces K100mil in dividends

Chairman Sir Moi Avei,

An interim dividend of K100 million was recently declared by the Ok Tedi Mining Ltd board and paid to shareholders on Friday, the company announced yesterday.

Chairman Sir Moi Avei, pictured, thanked the employees and contractors for their efforts, especially when recovering from the effects of the earthquake in February.

“While the performance of the business was adversely affected following the earthquake, production and profitability have progressively returned to more normal levels, allowing the company to make a K50 million contribution to the Earthquake Appeal in March 2018 and now fund an interim dividend,” he said

“The outlook for the second half of 2018 remains positive.

“The recent decline in copper price and ongoing cash requirement to complete the replacement and relocation of the in-pit crusher meant that the board continued to exercise prudence.”

Following the transfer of additional equity from the State to Western entities in April this year, K67 million of the
dividend was paid to the State.

The balance of K33 million was paid to the Fly River provincial government, Community Mine Continuation Agreement CMCA, villages and mine communities.

The share distribution of the 33 per cent equity will see:

• CMCA group owning 12 per cent;
• Mine area villages 9 per cent; and
• Fly River provincial government 12 per cent of which part of its interest will be shared with three districts (North Fly, Middle Fly and South Fly).

Papua lebih pantas dapat 40 persen saham Freeport

perjanjian kontrak kerja antara Indonesia dan Freeport beberapa waktu lalu di Jakarta (Jubi/ist)

Jayapura, Jubi – Anggota Parlemen Rakyat Provinsi Papua, perwakikan adat , wilayah Meepago, John NR Gobay mengatakan 10 persen saham PT Freeport yang diberikan kepada pemerintah Provinsi Papua dan Kabupaten Mimika itu kurang.

“Kalau cuma-cuma, saya pikir, kami Papua bisa dapat 40 ;40; 20,”kata Gobay.

Kata dia, pemberian 10 persen itu kurang lantaran Papua bukan hanya pembeli saham. Papua adalah pemilik hak ulayat lahan yang menjadi tambang tembaga terbesar kedua di dunia itu.

“Freeport itu ada di Papua. Kita tidak usah baku tipu,”katanya ketika berbincang-bincang dengan jurnalis Jubi.

Namun demikian, dirinya memahami kekurangan itu terjadi karena masalah divestasi. Jual beli saham yang harus di lakukan pemerintah di Papua dengan PT Freeport Indonesia.

“Kan harus beli…karena divestasi saham itu kan jual beli sebagian saham,”ujar Gobay.

Peneas Lokbere, aktivis Hak Asasi manusia dari Bersatu Untuk Kebenaran menyebut pemberian 10 persen saham itu penghinaan.

“Pemilik ko tadapat sedikit. Adil kah orang yang bukan pemilik dapat banyak?”tegasnya.

Dominikus Surabut, ketua wanita adat Papua menyebut pemberian 10 persen saham itu tidak lebih dari penipuan.

“Kapitalis menipu rakyat Papua demi keuntungan lebih,”tegasnya.

Kata dia, rakyat Papua mesti dasar penipuan itu..”lawan penipuan ini. Kalau tidak, orang warga begini terus”.

Pada Januari 2018 lalu, Pemerintah Provinsi Papua dan Pemerintah Kabupaten Mimika, akhirnya mendapat 10 persen saham PT Freeport Indonesia (PTFI).

Sementara itu pada 12 Juli lalu, dilangsungkan kesepakatan pokok (Heads of Agreement) antara Pemerintah Indonesia bersama Freeport-McMoRan Inc, perusahaan induk dari PT Freeport Indonesia. Kesepakatan tersebut adalah bagian dari proses yang memungkinkan Pemerintah RI memiliki 51 persen saham PT Freeport Indonesia.

PT. Freeport Indonesia (PTFI) melalui pernyataan pers Riza Pratama, Vice President, Corporate Communication PT Freeport Indonesia, yang diterima Jubi Jumat (13/7/2018), menjelaskan  para pihak telah menyepakati keberlangsungan operasi PT Freeport Indonesia hingga tahun 2041 dengan mekanisme yang akan didetailkan lebih lanjut.

Sri Mulyani, Menteri Keuangan, dilansir CNN Indonesia, Kamis (12/7/2018), menjelaskan bahwa kesepakatan ini akan menjadi landasan hukum yang mengatur hubungan pemerintah dengan Freeport Indonesia. Antara lain, terkait Izin Usaha Pertambangan Khusus (IUPK) Operasi Produksi (OP). Bukan lagi berbentuk Kontrak Karya (KK).

“Perpanjangan operasional 2 x 10 tahun akan diberikan jika Freeport Indonesia memenuhi kewajiban IUPK. Freeport Indonesia mendapat perpanjangan sampai 2041,” kata Sri Mulyani.

Nilai akuisisi saham PTFI tak sedikit, yakni mencapai US$3,85 miliar atau sekitar Rp 55 triliun (asumsi kurs Rp 14.400).

Menurut Pengamat Hukum Sumber Daya dari Universitas Tarumanegara, Ahmad Redi, 51 persen saham Freeport Indonesia yang dibanderol senilai US$ 3,85 miliar kelewat mahal karena perhitungan valuasi dilakukan berdasarkan proyeksi arus kas (cash flow), termasuk investasi, hingga 2041.

Padahal, Kontrak Karya (KK) Freeport Indonesia di tambang Grasberg, Papua, akan berakhir pada 2021. Setelah itu, pemerintah berhak mengambil alih tambang tembaga dan emas itu.

“Kontrak karya Freeport kan berakhir pada 2021. Seharusnya, yang menjadi perhitungan adalah (proyeksi hingga) 2021 bukan sampai 2041,” ujarnya saat dihubungi CNNIndonesia.com, Kamis (12/7).(*)