Govt devise food supply plan

THE Government is planning to supply food to people without jobs or families that do not have enough food in Port Moresby through a food-assistance programme, Prime Minister James Marape says.
“We’ll buy food and put and collect it in a warehouse inside the city for those who are struggling in our settlements in Port Moresby or in the urban areas,” he said.
“Instead of buying rice and biscuits, we (Government) are trying to buy organic food, food from the garden, to give to those who are in the city who might need a help or two.”
Marape said he was in talks with Central Governor Robert Agarobe and other Central MPs as well as NCD Governor Powes Parkop concerning the food-assistance programme.
“Possibly, will start next Sunday for us to store and will establish in the city where amongst us are people who will possibly be experiencing hunger because they have been laid off jobs or they are not sitting (and selling) at markets,” he said.
Another plan was to have grade 10 and grade 12 school leavers who missed out on spaces in schools mobilised into a national volunteer network, the prime minister said.
Marape said school leavers would be engaged in national activities like Covid-19 response.
“So corona(virus) has given us an opportunity to relook at how we have been giving respect to how we serve the people as Government,” he said.
Meanwhile, state of emergency controller and Police Comm David Manning ordered the removal of checkpoints in Central from yesterday.
He said the removal of checkpoints would allow villagers in Central to transport their garden produce to residents in NCD.
“The people of the NCD are heavily dependent on food coming in from the Central and other provinces,” Comm Manning said.
“The lock down and the road block adversely affected the people in both the NCD and the Central so some adjustments had to be made.
“Police checks for normal health protocols will remain such as physical distancing on public transport is observed.”