Minister for Agriculture and Livestock, John Simon has expressed fears that Papua New Guinea is raising a generation of young people who are not interested in agriculture.
He expressed his fears when addressing a coffee meeting in Banz in Jiwaka Province last Friday February 4 2022. Minister Simon told the meeting that a case in point was coffee, a commodity currently enjoying high world prices, but the production in PNG was not increasing.
“We are growing a generation that is just not interested in agriculture and this is very dangerous for this country and one day we will lose this country.
“This is why I am travelling all over the country and promoting agriculture, as I am so passionate about this country,” he said.
Minister Simon said the irony was that current coffee prices were high, however, there was no corresponding interest by the people.
“As it is now, everyone seems to be giving up on growing coffee. Sometimes I get very worried, even now when the price is good, coffee gardens are still in bushes. People are not cleaning (their coffee gardens).
“I remember when the price was K4-K5 per kg, however, all the coffee gardens used to be really clean. Now, even if the price is K6-K7 per kg, people are not cleaning their coffee gardens.”
Minister Simon said once all the oil, gas and mining ran out, everyone would come running back to agriculture.
“We (in Jiwaka) are not reliant on gas, gold and copper like other places. However, once all of these run out, the people there will all come running here for our coffee and cocoa.
“We will still be here. However, what is going to happen if our generations to come are not willing to go into coffee and cocoa?
He said the people are sitting on a time bomb because today’s population is growing so fast and they have lost focus on what they are going to do.
“So what is the problem? Why are our youths not interested? CIC (Coffee Industry Corporation), Cocoa Board, all the commodities and Government have a big job to do.
“If our children don’t want to do coffee and cocoa, where else will we get foreign exchange from and what will we export in the years to come?”
Minister Simon strongly urged the people to come up with something new that will make coffee look good in the eyes of their children.
“Right now, they think that it’s no good, a perception that we have to change.”