ICCC joins rice debate

By GYNNIE KERO
THE Independent Consumer and Competition Commission (ICCC) will work with Government authorities to ensure there is competition in the rice industry market, chief executive officer Paulus Ain says.
However, he could not give firm views regarding the allocation of the import quota, pricing or legal issues surrounding the implementation of the national rice policy.
This is because the ICCC did not have access to the deed of agreement and the national rice policy in its final form.
Ain was asked yesterday to provide comments on the national rice policy report which was receiving quite a lot of attention from Australia.
An Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) report yesterday stated that SunRice executives were in Port Moresby to challenge the Government’s decision to impose a 20 per cent import quota on the Australian company.
SunRice operates in PNG under the brand Trukai, and controls about 75 per cent of the rice market.
The Government awarded Indonesian company Naima Agriculture Investment Limited an 80 per cent quota on rice imports.
SunRice chairman and Riverina rice grower Laurie Arthur told about 1000 employees in the country that the company would do all it could to make sure their jobs were secure.
He said SunRice executives were considering legal action, given Australia had a bilateral deal with the country.
Frank Yourn, the executive director of the Australia-Papua New Guinea Business Council, told the ABC he was concerned that the Government decision would send a “negative signal to investors, not only Australian investors, but investors anywhere”.