Simon to importers: Develop rice growing industry

AGRICULTURE and Livestock Minister John Simon says the Government would like to see rice importers invest in developing the local rice growing industry.
Speaking during the opening of Goodman Fielder (PNG)’s new rice plant in Port Moresby yesterday, he said this was in line with the Government’s goal to reduce the need for imports and going into downstream processing in the country.
“We’d like to see companies investing in the country,” he said.
“On rice, what we are going to do is to see us growing the industry.
“We must not always continue to import.
“We must look at ways to grow the industry here.
“We would like to go into partnership with rice importers and start growing rice in the country.
“One of the problems that everyone’s been telling me about is the issue with the land, because 97 per cent of land in the country is customary-land owned by our people.
“But we would companies to partner landowners and make arrangement to grow rice in the country.
“This is a challenge to all the rice importers, if you are bringing so much, you’ve got to start producing so much in the country at a certain level, and the other certain level you import.
“If we don’t start now, when are we going to start?” Simon said. “We are going to start now and start advising our partners and friends that we are doing this.
“We want people involved in the industry to invest in the country.”
Simon said the Department of Agriculture wanted to work with partners such as the Livestock Development Corporation and use land available to plant rice.
“We would like to bring partners in so we develop some of that land.”