Good service delivery needed

Farming

By SERAH LAGDOM
Lack of service delivery mechanism and support service to smallholders has affected the growth and development of the agriculture sector, according to Rural Industries Council executive officer, Graham Ainui.
“It is important that these delivery mechanisms and producers are urgently addressed and rectified so that these services can be delivered,”
He said issues and constraints affecting the development of the agriculture sector included; infrastructure, road links, law and order, bio-security, land tenure (land dispute) and poor extensions services are the major constraints faced.
Ainui said the recently concluded national agriculture summit through its working group has highlighted significant areas of improvement.
“These include collaboration and partnership with all stakeholders, export opportunities, import substitution, more work on increasing local feed source in feed formulations, maximizing use of local resources and mobilsing land large enough area for cattle ranching.
“It also looks at income generation, employment creating, export generation, poverty alleviation and fair and even distribution of development, which also inspires even income distribution areas of the country.”
He said these issues had affected smallholders in most part of the country that has hampered the growth and development of the agriculture sector over the years.
“Of the total land mass of PNG, 97 per cent is owned by traditional landowners and about 87 per cent of PNG’s total population lives in the rural areas and depend on it for their overall welfare.
“Moreover, development indicators are influenced by the standard of living of our rural population.”
He said the government’s Medium Term Development Strategy has committed to improving the agriculture sector through the growth of smallholders in the country.
The overall effort in pursuing agriculture development must focus on improving the problems.
“Papua New Guinea’s agriculture sector is the biggest source for SME development with a world class agricultural sector that is responsive to international and domestic markets for a diverse range of products.
“It provides the best available income and job opportunities (DSP/
MTDP) with the aim of transformation of 70 per cent subsistence farmers into small/medium agricultural enterprises.”