Call for food security policy

Islands, Normal
Source:

The National, Tuesday October 22nd, 2013

 THE Government has been urged to put more emphasis on local food production and security.

Sinai Brown, chairman of the Japan-funded Organisation for Industrial, Spiritual and Cultural Advancement (OISCA), said food was the most important basic necessity.

He said one could go without clothing and shelter in tropical PNG but not without food.

Brown said the country’s population was growing rapidly and facing weak economic growth and a weakening value of the kina.

He said the Government had only recently realised that food production was important not only to improve nutrition but to replace the very high import cost on food products.

“At present, there is no food security policy and income generation policy,” he said.

“In fact, the government’s policy is more focused on service delivery and improving social infrastructure. The people are left with nothing.”

Brown said policies and programmes relating to food production and security had been neglected for a long time in PNG.