Minister advised about role of institute

THE National Agricultural Research Institute (Nari) has a huge responsibility to play in the agriculture sector and research in line with Government policy.
International Trade and Investment Minister Richard Maru, during his visit to Nari headquarters in Lae, was briefed on what Nari is doing to support the Government.
Nari director-general Dr Nelson Simbiken said the institution would be reviewing its legislation and structure, and told Maru that it was ready to partner with the Government on its policy on commercialisation and value-added processing.
The partnership will a memorandum of agreement allowing NARI to become a commercial partner with the ministry.
Nari’s programme director Dr. Birte Komolong told Maru that Nari needed expertise in research.
“Nari needs researchers who understand policy research to query the irrigation policy,” he said.
“We have money to do research, but we don’t get support from the recurrent budget to provide the kind of staff body we need with the breadth of expertise. That is our biggest challenge.”
She added that about 87 per cent of the PNG population were comfortable in subsistence living which was where development had to take place.
Komolong said people in rural areas needed to be encouraged to adopt irrigation and commercialised farming and leave subsistence farming.