Simon did well for agriculture sector

I COMMEND Agriculture and Livestock Minister John Simon for his high level ministerial performance.
Although this government has come into power for a little over two years ago, the performance indicators in the agriculture sector have outweighed several prospects as a result of Simon’s input.
This is particularly noted in the coffee industry where the minister is proposing legislations to regulate downstream processing and export of coffee products domestically and internationally.
From a very experienced perspective of a coffee growing background, the chronic and underlying problem that exist in the coffee chain of production is the unreliability of buyers, exporters and so-called middle men who have cheated growers regarding the prices of coffee and discouraged the hardworking smallholder farmers and plantations from maintaining their gardens.
Therefore, Simon’s proposal to set up State agencies by legislation to help set up and facilitate coffee buying points in the coffee growing provinces is a way forward in the sustenance of the industry.
This agency can act as a substitute or an alternative to the commodity boards because what have the commodity boards done and how have they effectively contributed to the agriculture industry in Papua New Guinea?
It seems that boards have existed as a liability to the State since their establishment, feeding off from the recurrent financial resources allocated over the years.
This is evident in the fact that the Coffee Industry Corporation, cocoa/copra board and oil palm industry boards have miserably failed to establish a sound production chain routine to get the maximum benefit in terms of good commodity prices down to the small farmer on the ground.
Consequently, most of the export commodity industries, main one being coffee, have been neglected, resulting in farmers abandoning their coffee gardens and resorting to other means by converting coffee plots into vegetable growing patches to earn income, which cuts off the foreign currency that would otherwise have been earned to boost foreign currency earning in exports of these perennial tree crop exports.
After this general election, the next government should consider retaining the best performing MPs to continuing on their best input for the benefit of the country.
If the Government can, it should handpick outspoken MPs from both sides of the house to allocate ministerial portfolios.
This would be a great precedent instead of conventional segregation along political party affiliations just to maintain numbers to stay in power.
This option, if taken by the new government, is the right way going forward.
We need a proper mix of intelligence and wisdom in terms of selecting ministers.

Philip Ukuni,
Mount Hagen