Public-private partnership key to European markets

Business, Normal
Source:

The National, Wednesday, June 8th 2011

By ANCILLA WRAKUALE
IT is important for a strong public-private sector partnership to ensure equal distribution of wealth and satisfaction for all stakeholders in the new duty free fisheries agreement for PNG to European markets, Wayne Golding said.
Golding, a representative of Apec business advisory council (ABAC) was speaking at a two-day consultation meeting with National Fisheries Authority (NFA) and PNG Fishing Industries Association (PNGFIA) in Port Moresby yesterday.
“We talk the talk in Europe and we must walk the talk in PNG and provide opportunity for our people,” Golding said.
He said partnership was paramount and both the private and public sectors could not work independently from each other.
He also congratulated the PNG government for an early response to ratify the interim economic partnership agreement (IEPA) with the European Union giving effect to full application of the partnership which has been on provisional basis.
Golding said fishery was what PNG needed after the non-mineral sector.
Meanwhile, other issues raised at the meet yesterday included the talks on the issue of foreign locally-based chartered vessels in PNG waters.
Ludwig Kumoru from NFA in his presentation highlighted that it was important to consider re-flagging of vessels in  cases where charted vessels did not belong to the host country but the flag’s state.
The industry consultation meeting that was themed “Effectively addressing issues and challenges in managing and developing the fishing industry” ends today.