Engage landowners, utilise valleys

IN Papua New Guinea, we have many valleys and plains sleeping idle and the Government needs to make good use out of them.
We have the Sepik plain, Markham and Waghi valleys and some more around the country that can be transformed into agriculture zones.
It will be costly for the Government or other developers to buy land from landowners.
But the Government can advise landowners to form groups, associations and corporations instead and supply them with farming equipment such as tractors to create plantations and large farms.
The Government can get technical advice from experts in organisations such as Nari and other agriculture institutions on how best to utilise the land.
We have big companies who can supply chemicals, seedlings, machinery and tools for them.
Imagine all our valleys filled with agricultural activity.
We will be able to export agricultural products overseas.
People will take ownership of their businesses and have more say in befefits that their lands bring.
If the Government really wants to put agriculture first, it has to start with equipping landowners with the knowledge and technical knowledge of how to utilise their lands.
We have the potential to become like Australia and New Zealand who depend on agriculture for almost half of their revenues.

Wel Temai
Kundiawa, Chimbu