Call to establish ‘appropriate’ authorities

The National Business

EAST Sepik has been identified as one of the cash crop-producing provinces which requires appropriate authorities established.
Agriculture and Livestock Minister John Simon said the province did not have commodity boards including the Livestock Development Corporation.
The establishment of these bodies came up during his meeting with representatives from the provincial administration and stakeholders in Wewak last week.
Simon directed that tasks to be conducted immediately include:

  • Reviewing the provincial agriculture sector funding arrangements;
  • Reviving the Hawain and Saramandi agriculture research stations;
  • Reviving the Gavien rubber scheme;
  • Reviving cattle ranches at Wariman, Urimo, Timbunkei and Kwimbu;
  • Identifying areas for cattle breeding, holding facilities;
  • Investing in food security with a focus on rice farming while enhancing farming in Angoram and establishing four rice seed gardens in the country including one in the Sepik plain;
  • Rehabilitation of cocoa, vanilla and coffee.

Simon said a submission should be prepared to revive Sepik coffee, and there was a need to phase out clean pipe dryers to combination and solar cocoa dryers.