Agriculture park project planned

THE Department of Agriculture and Livestock in partnership with Commerce and Industry will be introducing the Agriculture Park projects in two provinces.
Minister for Agriculture and Livestock Benny Allen told the Coffee Symposium in Port Moresby yesterday that a submission for the Agriculture Park would soon be approved by the National Executive Council.
“We are working on the agriculture park projects, starting in Eastern Highlands and Western highlands and extend to other provinces where downstream processing will take place,” he said.
“Cabinet will shortly approve that submission sponsored by agriculture and commerce and industry ministries.
Allen said the agriculture sector was the backbone of Papua New Guinea’s economy and successful partnership programmes were needed in addressing impediments in growth.
“As part of laying the foundation of the growth in agriculture sector, government has and will introduce policies to address impediments to growths,” he said.
“To realise growth in the sector, land must be sufficiently unlocked for new developments and all the problems must be normalised.
“Accountability and transparency must be the forefront of all government funded research and development institutions including supporting agencies.”
Allen said farmers and stakeholders should take ownership of government services and maintain established infrastructure to connect the rural population to services.
He challenged all commodity boards and agencies to identify and modernise resources required to facilitate tangible outcomes.
“The overall goal is to improve living standards of all farming communities,” he said.
“However, investment projects in the agriculture sector are not mutually exclusive.
“To achieve the goal there are other important areas that require productive, public private to intervene such transport infrastructure, health education and law and order.
“Investments in all of these sectors will complement each other and trigger growth in the industry.
“Agriculture sector in PNG supports majority of our people. Coffee alone supports over 400,000 households in the form of informal and informal employment.
“It is by far the second largest export earner behind oil Palm. It was coffee, cocoa and copra that took PNG to independence.”