Govt repositioning policies, laws, says Marape

PRIME Minister James Marape says the Government is repositioning policies and laws to ensure the nation becomes economically independent through agriculture.
Marape told students and lecturers at the South Pacific Institute of Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development seminar at University of Technology in Lae yesterday that to be politically independent, the nation should first be economically strong.
“Our province and Bougainville must be financially strong. The Government must have the resource envelope to ensure we are not borrowers or beggars,” he said.
“This is what I mean by economically independent,” he said.
“In a country so richly endowed with natural resources, how come poverty is prevalent?
“How come borrowing from loans and financial plus technical grants continue to be the modus operandi to fill in the revenue gaps to support our country’s development needs?
“Our minerals and hydro-carbon industries must be harvested and processed in an optimum manner.
“Our forestry and fisheries sectors must be harvested sustainably and downstream processing must start in these sectors.
“Our tourism sector must grow to ensure our diverse culture and ecology yield dividend to our economy.
“I also see agriculture as mother of all industries. In agriculture lays the safety and security of our nation.”
Marape said people must have money and be self-sufficient and self-sustaining. “Agriculture will feed a family and the nation and agriculture will generate income for the family and the nation,” he said.
“The greatest individual, country and global need is not oil, gas, gold, iron, timber but food and oxygen. Agriculture can be an economic powerhouse for PNG.”
Marape said the Government would try to unlock the potential in agriculture by drawing up a map showing which parts of the country had “potential”.