The National Government has begun steps to revive rundown plantations around the country through cooperative societies.
Today, representatives from various commodity boards met with Minister for Trade, Commerce and Industry, Wera Mori, to begin a consolidated effort towards the agenda.
Mori said the idea to revive plantations under the cooperatives’ structure is part of the government agenda to revitalise the economy through commodity based exports and less reliance on the extractive industry.
He added the cooperatives’ society structure will also see a communal based ownership of resources and businesses, and not by only a particular group such as landowners.
“When you do a cooperative society you are not involving one or two or three elite clansmen who are educated but you are mobilising family groups and getting them involved in ownership,” he said.
Acting secretary for agriculture and livestock, Andrew Liliura, said the many plantations under the cooperatives structure had failed.
He said he was excited with the idea and wants to see collaboration to see cooperative societies supported so that plantations can flourish once more.
“I want all of us to carry this through and I believe we are going to see a great change in the next five to ten years.”
A draft submission has been presented to the National Executive Council (NEC) to deliberate on.
An initial budget of K300 million for a five-year period is contained within the submission, with a number of sources to fund it being looked at, such as concessional loans.
The meeting was attended by representatives from the Coffee Industry Corporation (CIC), Kokonas Indastri Koporesen (KIK), Oil Palm Industry Corporation (OIPC), Rubber and Cocoa Board, National Development Bank (NDB), SME Corporation (SMEC) and the Investment Promotion Authority (IPA).