Focus set on agriculture

Business

PRIME Minister James Marape plans to use the Apec Leaders’ Summit in Chile next month to sound off with countries how they can establish partnership with Papua New Guinea on agricultural produce trade.
Marape re-emphasised that the Government was committed to making agriculture the “engine room” in driving the national economy.
Opening the 2019 commodity board retreat in Port Moresby yesterday, he said: “Food is a big business (in other countries).
“In countries that have three meals a day, one can never go wrong with food.
“When I go to Apec in November, I will be lobbying a few of our Apec nations.
“For instance, I will be asking Korea: Can you import our coffee?
“I will be speaking with Philippines: Can you pick up my rice access? I’ll be asking Indonesia: Can you pick up livestock we have in our country or can you make your markets accessible to us?”
Meanwhile, Marape described the country’s agriculture sector as the most under performing sector.
He hosted the two-day event as the caretaker minister for Agriculture and Livestock.
The event gives an opportunity to the heads of agriculture and livestock commodity boards to discuss the past performances of the boards.
They are expected to give an update on their current status and recommend how best they can achieve the theme “taking back PNG through agriculture,” through improving their work

2 comments

  • As an agriculture student, I salute the innovations taken by Mr Marape, it is time now to look at resources that are renewable and can be controlled and sustained over a long time by human efforts. Oil, gas and gold is gradually depleting in our country, who knows what will happen to to PNG in the next 30-40 years time. We have shipped so many mineral resources out of PNG and nothing is really happening still. lets promote agriculture.

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