Officer urges govt to amend laws governing commodities

LAWS governing the operation of agricultural commodities must be amended to allow stakeholders to enjoy maximum benefits, according to the Oil Palm Industry Corporation.
Chief executive officer Pepson Pupita said the main agricultural commodities of coffee, copra and cocoa had impacted lives of the people.
“However, the current laws that govern their operation were based on the situation facing the industries at that time,” he said.
“We are moving fast into the technological age.
“Laws dealing with cash-earning commodities must be amended to suit the present conditions.”
Pupita said there was a huge potential to expand oil palm blocks.
“There are huge land masses in Transgogol, Ramu Valley, Sepik Plains, the swamp lands of Western, Jimi Valley, Waghi Valley, Markham Valley and Simbirigi Valley,” he said.
“We are looking at six to 10 million hectares of land to plant oil palm.
“Papua New Guinea has the potential to bring billions of kina into the country.”
But Pupita said it was difficult to obtain land from customary landowners to develop plantations and estates, therefore changes to the law were needed to make land available.