Agriculture

President of the Highlands Farmers and Settlers Association (HFSA), Wilson Thompson commended the Cocoa Board and Agmark NGIP, Eliven Cocoa and Middleton and Sons and smallholder farmer members that continues to drive the industry.

The Cocoa industry export figures for 2022 is 40,024 metric tonnes of export bringing in total of K313,603,141 million foreign currency.

This is increase from 2021 at 36,540 metric tonnes valued at K308,137,759 which is on the steady increase from 2021 at 32,905 metric tonnes (K274,863,434 million).

Prime Minister James Marape made the announcement on Thursday, May 25^th, when meeting with Lae’s private sector.

Marape thanked employers for remaining loyal to PNG for the past decades despite the deteriorating business environment.

“Those incentives will be announced very soon, in fact, within the six months going forward before the 2024 budget is brought in,” he stated. “We will announce certain incentives that we will be giving to the manufacturing sector and more so, agriculture, forestry and fisheries based here in our country.”

The challenges must be addressed to move the country’s coffee industry forward into the future.

The National Research Institute (NRI) Spotlight Volume 16, Issue 9: “Prospects of coffee production and initiatives for addressing challenges faced by coffee growers in Papua New Guinea” by Associate Professor Eugene Ezebilo, the Deputy Director for Research at the PNG NRI highlights the opportunity for coffee production in PNG, challenges that coffee growers in Eastern Highlands, Western Highlands and Morobe Provinces face and some potential ways to address the challenges.

Minister for Oil Palm, Francis Maneke stated this yesterday during the swearing-in ceremony of the members of the Oil Palm Industry Corporation.

Several plans were mentioned including the K30 million for the 2023 Work-Program and Implementation Plan for Oil Palm, which is now before NEC to endorse its draw down and implementation.

He said the Legislation review and regulatory frames are also a priority to be completed with sound policies to achieve National Governments direction to grow industry.

Morobe’s Provincial Administrator, Max Brutan, made this statement during the recent launching of Menyamya's 5-year plan and new projects.

“Morobe is the biggest province and has its own enormous challenges,” Brutan said.

“We cannot solve Morobe’s problems overnight but having traveled along the roads into Menyamya, my heart broke when I saw the condition of the roads and the way our people live.

“I want my people to work the land and farm agriculture produces such as cocoa, vanilla, coffee and other agricultural produces so they can generate some form of income and stay away from criminal activities.”

Mr Uguro met with World Vision officials in Madang on Tuesday to discuss stronger partnership with the district development authority to promote effective socio-economic activities and to achieve and boost local the economy through SME drive.

This was stated during the two Capital Market Licenses that were granted by the Securities Commission of Papua New Guinea.

Maru added that Agriculture can be a topic of discussion according to MRL Capital Ltd.’s Risk Management frameworks. He added that due to MRL Capital’s impressive record on their growth, this is a great way to expand.

“I want to inform the market today that we are working on the amendments to make sure that the fund manager is separated from the funds.

But she believes there is lot more to be done for coffee in PNG, especially in funding support and extension services in the coffee value chain.

Nellie Varmari, the owner operator of the Central Mamina Organic Coffee was speaking during the official contract signing between the Bawaf Saab Wafi Golpu SML 10 landowners, Amphibian Aerospace Industries (AAI) Australia, and the Interserco Corporation of Vietnam for the purchase and use of Albatross sea planes in PNG at Stanley Hotel in Port Moresby yesterday.   

By December 2022, the programme reports that they have supported farmers in Ambunti-Drekikier, Angoram, Maprik, Wewak, Wosera-Gawi.  

These support included 1286 cocoa farmers with the distribution of 84,299 cocoa pod borer (CPB) tolerant seedlings whilst supporting 586 vanilla farmers with the distribution of 10,000 quality and healthy vanilla vines.

In addition, the programme supported 150 inland fishers with the distribution of 800 fingerlings and built the capacity of 104 fishers in aquaculture/inland fisheries.

Through programs such as PHAMA Plus and Market Development Facility, Australia is assisting farming communities in the province to develop high-value coffee to export.

When visiting Jiwaka in September, High Commissioner Jon Philp met with coffee growers and exporters to hear their perspectives on the challenges and opportunities in exporting quality coffee.

Through Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research, the Partnership is also supporting commercial production and the marketing of sweet potato for export from the Highlands region.