BY PETERSON TSERAHA

BOUGAINVILLE will now feel its first indirect impact of the corona virus alert imposed by authorities in Papua New Guinea.

Only three ports in the Country are now being allowed to process imports and that includes Lae, Motukea and Rabaul.

The Bougainville ports at Kieta and Buka and now Loloho the former BCL wharf has also been stopped.

Silent World Bougainville Limited, a major fuel distributor in Central and South Bougainville told Post Courier that their business will be greatly affected.

Managing Director Zhon Bosco Miriona said the import duty they pay to the National Government through Customs is K100, 000.00 per import from Noro in the neighboring Solomon Islands.

“We’re now going to be greatly affected by this banning of all imports in our port except for the three that were allowed,” Mr.Miriona said.

“We, are a main supplier now to a lot of small service stations in both Central and South Bougainville because we are the cheapest K720.00 per drum but they will have to buy five drums and above only whole sale sales.”

“This will affect us and will also affect the small service stations, that we supply and the effect of this import ban we make all of us stake holders lose profit on a very large scale.”Mr Miriona said.

“When we the distributors lose business, the small stations that we supply will also be affected they won’t make money and there will be shortage of fuel even PNG power, we might experience black outs too.” he said. “And in the long run the government will not be making money too from us we will all be in this together.” Mr Miriona said.