Lae, Morobe Province, PNG, 6th August, 2015 – The National Botanic Gardens (Lae) Advancement Program has received another exciting boost to their operations with the generous donation of a brand new Husqvarna ride-on mower on Monday 4 August 2015. Husqvarna & Farmset Limited, who donated the machine, are the latest international & local business to contribute to the program that aims to revive the gardens and re-open to the public in October 2015.
Initiated in 2014 by Friends of the Lae Botanic Gardens, the Advancement Program has gone from strength to strength in 2015, largely thanks to backing from local and international businesses interested in the regeneration of the gardens as a safe and secure public space for the whole community of Lae and visitors to enjoy. Centrally located in Lae and once internationally renowned for its diversity, the gardens sprawl across 38 hectares which is a lot of upkeep for the small team of eight grounds workers. Up until now, the vast lawns were maintained with a tractor and small push-on mowers, a task that took up much of the gardeners time and did not produce quality lawns for the public to enjoy.
With this gift of a top of the range Husqvarna ride-on mower, keeping the beautiful lawns of the gardens well maintained will take a fraction of the time, allowing the team to focus on other areas that are being restored for the re-opening. Farmset has also serviced and repaired four Husqvarna brush cutters belonging to the gardens free of charge in July when the Advancement Program was communicated to them. Dr. Martin Golman, Acting Director of the PNG Forest Research Institute who received the keys from Merv Stephens, Inventory Manager at Farmset stated ‘we are extremely humbled by the generosity of the business community and their support of our efforts. Farmset is well-known throughout PNG for their quality products and service, so to receive a quality Husqvarna mower and hands on training from their team will have immediate and sustainable impact on our gardens and for our workers.’
Farmset is a 100% Papua New Guinean owned company that has been operating since 1969 and is now a leading supplier of products and services for the agricultural sector in PNG.
