Agriculture Dept appoints board

The National National

By HELEN TARAWA
AGRICULTURE and Livestock Minister Benny Allen announced the appointment of eight commodity boards yesterday.
Allen said six of the eight boards coffee, cocoa, copra, ubber, spice and Oil Palm Industry Corporation (OPIC) are under commodity boards while Fresh Produce Development Agency (FPDA) and National Agriculture Quarantine Inspection Authority (NAQIA) are the sub-sector boards of the department. “We want to advise our people and stakeholders on where we are with the commodity boards,” Allen said.
“It’s also the government’s priority that we have the boards in place.”
He said once the boards were in place they will be looking at reviewing the laws to meet the challenges and the issues raised by stakeholders.
Allen said the commodity boards included spice, rubber, Coffee, Kokonus Industry Koparesen (KIK) and Fresh Produce Development Agency (FPDA) and OPIC.
“The commodities boards that are already in place include, coffee, KIK and FPDA.
“Rubber, spice and OPIC had gone through cabinet recently and had been approved.
“NAQIA and cocoa were still in the process of complying with the requirements,” he said.
Allen said a new board for livestock is being considered as well as another board for rice.
“We already have a rice policy and but we want to have a board that will manage the industry.
“Cocoa, NAQIA and Livestock Development Corporation (LDC) are in the pipeline ready to go to the next National Executive Council. Coffee, KIK and FPDA have current boards.
The first board which had already started the review is OPIC which is quite outdated since 1953 with only one amendment done in 1992.
“It is a huge industry that is fast growing and it brings the highest revenue in the agriculture sector so the review is to address the concerns and challenges raised by the industry players.
“I’m happy that we have got this commodity boards in place now and the composition is well represented by the industries and also the growers and exporters as well.
“We want to lift the profile of the boards so that they are in charge of each commodity. We want the boards to go out there and make decisions and drive the industry forward,” Allen said.