The Farmers and Settlers Association is urging the Government and commodity boards to have a policy response to guide affected commodities to more climate smart protocols.
President Wilson Thompson said despite the increasing population, skills and knowledge in PNG, the agriculture and livestock sector is under threat from declining production.
“Now we are faced with changing weather patterns and concerns on climate change and in conservation measures. Starting last year, PNG was informed about the European Union Deforestation Regulation where PNG gets high prices for its exports,” he said.
According to the EU's new deforestation regulation (EUDR) it mentioned that seven commodity products—soy, beef, palm oil, wood, cocoa, coffee and rubber, all of which are major drivers of deforestation—will no longer be sold in the EU if sourced from areas affected by deforestation or forest degradation.
He added: “The application of the regulation transits through the value chain to include end products manufactured outside the EU for export to the EU.
“At the farmer producer end of the "stick", the onus of proof rests with the farmer; all producers with below 3 hectares of cocoa, coffee or rubber must be single point GPS locatable, and all producers with over 3 hectares need to be GPS polygon map locatable.”
Thompson said GPS identifiers have to be carried with the documentation for each export shipment. Any of the crops grown on land which has been deforested later than December 31st, 2020 will be excluded from being compliant.
The GPS data carried with PNG’s exportable commodities will be used to create overlay mapping to confirm that none of the commodities is being produced on the land deforested post as of the 31st of December, 2020.
President Thompson shared that the financial penalties to be applied to importers in the EU guilty of importing non-compliant commodities is extortionate at up to 7 percent of gross annual sales value. Compliance requirement commences on the 31st of December, 2024.
“For cocoa in PNG, we note that the sales contracts to be set in Q4 2024 for 2025 will stipulate EUDR compliance in the contracts and the 'Shipping Instructions'. Cocoa will be easier to manage than coffee; oil palm will be easier to manage than both of these. PNG needs a policy response.
“We need to ensure our department and agencies should be putting out what they are doing. The Government of PNG, Ministry & Department of Agriculture and Livestock and commodity boards must have a policy response,” Thompson said.
He added that this is to guide and direct the line agencies and boards for the specific affected commodities.