Prime Minister Hon. James Marape today presented the first K20 million of a K50 million funding for price stabilisation support to rural farmers , during the launch of the Agriculture Medium Term Development Plan 2020- 22 in Port Moresby.
Mr Marape commended the Minister for Agriculture and Livestock, Hon. John Simon and his Department and Agencies, for empowering Papua New Guineans through business and agriculture
“Today I deliver the first K20 million of a K50 million envelope for price stabilisation. I commend Minister Simon and his Department for realigning the Agriculture Medium Term Development Plan 2020-22 to be congruent to the Marape- Basil Government’s policies.”
“I am happy today to launch the implementation of another of my Government’s commitments to empower our people – price stabilisation for our agricultural commodities,” he said.
Agriculture is a sector of Papua New Guinea’s economy that brings 80 percent of the population presently living a subsistence life on land into commercial agriculture
“This sector embraces majority of our people and will directly benefit the economy.
“Our focus on agriculture today, and more so for transfers of better prices to growers for coffee, cocoa, copra, oil palm, vanilla and other exportable commodities will benefit the country and farmers.
“There are three million coffee growers, two million cocoa farmers, 1.5 million copra farmers, over 300,000 small holders in oil palm sector and over 500,000 people involved in the vanilla business.”
Mr Marape said the funds would be transferred directly to the farmers or growers, ‘cutting away the middle men.’
He encouraged citizens to return to their land and not to be lazy, as the government would continue to support them through price stabilisation for their commodities.
“No governments of the past have assisted price stabilisation and freight subsidies.”
“We are doing it so you men and women can be financially empowered in your own land, like our first businessmen/women of our country who did it through agriculture, Mr Marape added.
The government’s other major policies focus on connecting PNG for the next 10 years with rural roads, jetties, airstrips, transport freight subsidies and the micro small to medium enterprises( MSME) funds through partner banks.
