Commodity boards to be scrutinised for transparency: Simon

COMMODITY boards will be scrutinised to ensure the funds they receive are used appropriately, Minister for Agriculture and Livestock John Simon says.
Simon, while presenting the Agriculture Commodity Price Stabilisation/Support fund of K20 million to the commodities board, said the money needed to be spent on farmers.
“Our farmers the eight million plus people can assist us to change this country,” he said.
“If we are looking for the economic drive to move this country forward the answer is with the people, they are waiting for us.
“That is why Prime Minister James Marape I want to thank you for allocating K50 million in the Supplementary Budget to support prices,” Simon said.
He said the Department of Agriculture and Livestock (DAL) could help bring in more foreign reserves into the country through increased production and lessening the need for imports.
Simon said through the Agriculture and Livestock Development Plan, DAL was aligning with the Government’s medium term development Plan 3 by removing the focus from Port Moresby and placing it on the rural sector.
“When we put support in agriculture, there’s more than three million coffee farmers and 1.5 million cocoa farmers out there.
“We will be supporting about seven million people and our aim is for the money to go to the farmers’ pockets.
“We want to help the little farmers, we want to stabilise and support the prices,” he said.
Simon said they would be working with the commodity boards to ensure every farmer was registered.
“We have decided to work with the existing structures of the commodity boards, they will report to us and we will report to Cabinet.
“By the end of the year, as soon as price commodity and price goes well we will take a submission to Cabinet to come up with policy paper for next year’s budget onwards.”