Dept plans to increase investment

National, Normal
Source:

The National, Thursday February 6th, 2014

 THE Department of Agriculture plans to modernise the sector to increase investment and exports returns, an offical says. 

Acting secretary for the department Dr Vele Pat Ila’ava said this had become an attractive investment portfolio for financiers and donors.

“In terms of government policy support, we have the policies in place but how do we link that into the government plan framework?” he said.

“How do we build a modern, market-driven competitive sector? How do we convert many of our small farmers to become successful businessmen and women?”

In order to achieve its goals, Ila’ava said the department would start to increase productivity, production and trade to build a modern, internationally-competitive sector, increase local small-to-medium enterprises and increase trade and export.

Ila’ava said PNG really needed infrastructure, technology and financial capital for this to be successful. 

He said the other end of the scale was processing, marketing and sales which was the low-risk high-return. 

He urged delegates at the Leaders’ Summit in Port Moresby on Tuesday to think of how funds from the mining and petroleum sectors could be used to build an economy based on agriculture, fisheries and tourism.