Leahy: Agriculture key to SMEs in Western Highlands

 WESTERN Highlands needs to focus more on agriculture to boost potential small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), according to the Western Highlands Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Chamber president James Leahy said the business growth in the province was persevering and growing in the continuous non-conducive business environment and the government needed to support the growth of SMEs in the province by creating incentives which would encourage locals to go back and make use of their land commercially.

“Our Government needs to stop entertaining the cash handout mentality and adopt the policy of providing the basic tools, seeds, infrastructure and access to food related markets so that anything that is produced by our farmers can be sold by farmers to depots in Mt Hagen or outlying centres,” Leahy said.

“The publicised government and private business partnership has had no real impact because the incentives for potential farmers and business houses where simply not appealing or too difficult to achieve for either party.

“The concept was good but the implementation and incentives weren’t simplified or driven enough.”

Leahy said that SME’s in Western Highlands were struggling to flourish due to restrictions such as availability of state land and lack of financing for businesses. 

“There is a drastic shortage of state & commercial land available for interested parties or businesses wanting to expand or invest into the province.

“Whatever land that is left or available is continually subjected to ‘tribal’ claims of ownership or simply taken by force.”