Agriculture course focuses on human, animal health

A WORKSHOP over the past two days in Port Moresby looked at ways of addressing agricultural issues related to human and animal health.
The workshop was organised by the Food and Agriculture Organisation and the Department of Agriculture and Livestock. It was attended by stakeholders dealing with food supplies and management and working to safeguard the management of food production by ensuring that people who produce food know how to use substances such as pesticides and fertilisers.
National Agricultural Research Institute research and development coordinator Dr Pika Kohun said they had “very little engagement with permit holders and agents distributing chemicals and pesticides”.
“I think their responsibility does not stop at the shop front. They need to advise farmers on how to use them in terms of dosage.”
Assistant Secretary of the Department of Trade and Commerce Agnes Martin said the country was moving in a way to set standards.
“We have to get our domestic regulations in hand to keep this kind of regulation in place (as) it will enable us to open markets for PNG products.”
The workshop was told that domestic regulations done through trainings and awareness helped to protect the food chain and facilitated trade for importers interested in buying local produce especially when they knew that it was safe.
It was emphasised that stakeholder awareness was a key objective of the One-Health concept which aims to regulate, train and alert farmers on how the misuse of chemicals could affect the food chain before reaching the consumer.