Vital for PNG to grow its own rice

Letters, Normal
Source:

The National, Friday 10th Febuary 2012

PAPUA New Guinea must grow rice to feed its seven million people.
It is basic common sense that a country must be able to feed its own people and not be dependent on other countries for the most basic sustenance in life – food. 
Food security is a top priority if PNG were to escape the dependency syndrome. 
We are agriculturalists right to the core and there is no excuse for not growing rice on a massive scale to feed ourselves.
I have a “national youth policy” which spells out clearly and succinctly how rice can be grown in a holistic way by our youths in line with our food security policies and youth mobilisation and empowerment movement that will create more than 100,000 permanent new jobs, meet  our country’s demand for rice and teach our youth life skills and give them invaluable qualifications. 
I can present my paper to any go­vernment which is interested in developing rural PNG.
Trukai is a business and a good friend of PNG.  But PNG must not be held to ransom by Trukai’s monopoly of the rice market. 
We want Papua New Guineans in the rural areas to grow their own rice so they can actually be stakeholders in the rice economy.
In other words, they can make money growing and selling rice.
Rice should be another cash crop.
I support Sir Puka Temu in his quest to revamp the rice industry in PNG, a policy which was championed by the late Sir Sinake Giregire, the founder of PNG Country Party. 
What Papua New Guineans would like is a business model which includes them in the cash economy and not one which excludes them or reduces their full involvement.
This is a billion kina industry if you consider the fact that 1.5 million Papua New Guineans eat rice every night.
You do the maths.

Okuk Mori Rogerson
Sydney