NADP funds going into wrong hands

Allow me to point to some grave weaknesses in the implementation aspects of the National Agriculture Development Plan (NADP), which is to receive K100 million every year from the national budget.
The project identification and formulation aspects have been left to failed politicians and businessmen, political cronies and professional conmen to have a field day in putting together fake proposals.
They will, for instance, set up coffee processing mills or cocoa fermentaries by incorporating K2 companies and submitting them to the Department of Agriculture and Livestock (DAL) for direct funding.
Given the pressure to spend the money under the NADP, DAL is just raising cheques to fund fake proposals by non-genuine farmers.
I have been reliably told of a case where a couple have diverted “free” handouts from DAL to buy properties in Lae and Port Moresby rather than investing on land to increase productivity and output of targeted commodities.
It is sad to see genuine coffee growers, who have suffered many problems, being unable to benefit from such funding.
I urge DAL to carry out a nationwide needs analysis of the sector and to directly procure the needs of the farmers in bulk, distributing these directly to individual farmers to assist them increase production and sales.
Central processing mills owned by cooperatives and operated by DAL should be set up to ensure direct involvement and benefit to farmers.
Otherwise the additional K100 million a year will serve no purpose at all.

Informant,
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