Spice a sleeping million dollar industry, says official

THE spice industry is a sleeping million dollar industry and needs growth and development to realise its potential, an official says.
Department of Agriculture and Livestock (DAL) Highlands region provincial and industry support services director John Jave said farming, processing and marketing and supporting household farming was important. “Spice in PNG has a huge potential in generating foreign exchange income if given the support for development and establishment of value chain mechanisms,” he said.
“With the current trend of increase in the spices at the international arena, PNG has the potential in benefiting from such opportunities for economic growth.” Jave said government funding was crucial.
“I see the spice sector is dead and only few active farmers dedicate their time, effort and resources to strive against the tide of imports.
“This is a very unfair state for this alternative cash crop that has the potential to perform like coffee.”
Jave commended the Government’s call for going rural through its agriculture price support and intervention programme.
“It is a big move in the right direction that should trigger transformation of rural communities and economic recovery,” he said.
“Agriculture is the life-stream that clothes and feeds 85 per cent of the Papua New Guineans.”