Agriculture and poverty

MANY say strengthening agriculture can produce positive ripple effects in a country’s economy
Investments in agricultural development can help reduce poverty.
They say improvements in agriculture have been one of the main factors promoting poverty reduction globally.
Agriculture has been at the center of recent economic progress for many developing nations.
Most governments are taking concrete actions to address the problem and there is a clear recognition of strengthening agriculture and food systems in a manner that brings more affordable, healthier and diverse food options within everyone’s reach.
Revenue from agriculture could cater for the increasing expenditure the Government had to take care of given the increasing population over the years.
And so the PNG Government last November allocated K665.9 million, the highest increase of 72 per cent from K385.7 million in the supplementary budget to the economic sector.
This sector includes agriculture, mining and other natural resource industries.
For the record, more than 80 per cent of Papua New Guinea’s population live in rural areas and practise subsistence agriculture.
As a result, the majority of people are highly dependent on the country’s forests and rivers for their food security and to meet basic needs.
Garden farms also produce a diversity of other crops, including spinach, cauliflower, broccoli, broad beans, cucumbers, and sugar cane. Yams, taro, bananas and sweet potatoes are the main staple crops grown. However, in PNG the biggest challenge is to access these farmers or the growers so value is added to the produce they have.
So what has translated so far from that amount allocated since last November? Only a farmer or grower in the rural areas will testify.
Apart from the funding, all talks of ensuring the revival of agriculture must turn to action.
Enough of talking and let’s get down to business.
Agriculture and Livestock Minister Benny Allan has always said that most Papua New Guineans depended entirely on agriculture and to bail the country out of its financial and social problems, we only need to make real investments in the agricultural sector.
Papua New Guineans have worked the land for their subsistence over thousands of years.
The people who first inhabited the island of New Guinea developed methods to till and irrigate their soil and to live off the bounty while hunting and gathering was still the most common method of survival for people in other parts of the world.
At independence the country had among its chief exports coffee, copra, cocoa and tea. These cash crops were one of the first means for the people to make their own revenue and take part in the local economy.
Other agricultural products have since increased their presence and importance. Sugar and oil palm are now two of the country’s major industries.
Although sugar is produced for domestic sale, other industries have shot off the Ramu canefields. Small beef industry is up and running with cattle being tended to supply the local market.
The agriculture sector needs consistent and adequate funding so it encourages those who are currently unemployed in cities and towns to return home and work the land.
And it makes sense that there is potential in this sector.
At the same time, the Government and the industry need to conduct more research to gain a more nuanced understanding of consumer perceptions.
All this can be achieved if everyone works together as a team.