Minister orders travel ban

National

By CLIFFORD FAIPARIK
AGRICULTURE and Livestock Minister Benny Allan has a placed a 100-day overseas travel ban on department staff to support the Government’s 100-day   economic recovery plan.
“No one will be travelling overseas, including me,” he said.
“There will be no hiring of hotels for workshops or seminars also.
“Events will be hosted at the department’s new headquarters conference room at the Central Government Building in Waigani.
“There will no more rentals of private properties for department offices.
“I’ve asked the Southern Region Division to vacate the L&A Building at 6-Mile and move to the department’s building at Konedobu.”
Deputy Prime Minister Charles Abel recently announced the Government’s 100-day economic recovery plan.
Allan told department staff they needed to approach their work like employees in the private sector, prioritising on productivity, profitability and accountability.
“The Government has tasked us to raise revenue. We will now work with stakeholders,” Allan said.
“We will be identifying run-down cocoa, copra, coffee and rubber plantations in the country.
“We will strategise how we should assist them to redevelop these plantations in the 2018 national budget and beyond.”
The department will be announcing its medium and long-term plans to increase the agriculture sector’s revenue from K2 billion to K15 billion.
Allan will also prioritise the coffee borer emergency in the 100-day recovery plan.
“Last year, the National Executive Council approved K20 million to address the borer,” Allan said.
“But due to the cash flow problem, we have not received anything yet.
“The National Agriculture Quarantine Inspection Authority and Coffee Industry Corporation had used their own funds and spent K6 million already to address this disease.  The disease is in Jiwaka and Eastern Highlands.”
Allan has talked to Treasurer Charles Abel about including the K20 million in the supplementary budget to be tabled in Parliament next month.