PRIME Minister James Marape says the allocation of four ministries to the agriculture sector is a complete paradigm shift to get agriculture moving again. Many commentators were surprised on Tuesday to see new ministries for Coffee and Oil Palm, but Mr Marape said this is part of his government’s ‘take back PNG’ vision in the agriculture sector. He said it was no secret that agriculture has declined since Independence in 1975, and allocation of the four ministries is to rekindle the sector, for it to be a major income-generator for Papua New Guinea.  

Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Marape Explains The Allocation New Ministries to the Agriculture Sector.

PNG Breaking News – Friday, 26th August, 2022. PM Marape Explains New Agri Ministries PRIME Minister James Marape says the allocation of four ministries to the agriculture sector is a complete paradigm shift to get agriculture moving again. Many commentators were surprised on Tuesday to see new ministries for Coffee and Oil Palm, but Mr Marape said this is part of his government’s ‘take back PNG’ vision in the agriculture sector. He said it was no secret that agriculture has declined since Independence in 1975, and allocation of the four ministries is to rekindle the sector, for it to be a major income-generator for Papua New Guinea. He said: “Goroka MP Aiye Tambua is the Agriculture Minister responsible for administration of the department and tree crops and horticulture (fresh produce). The Department of Agriculture and Livestock has been beset with ongoing controversies and management issues over the years. “Nakanai MP Francis Maneke is Minister for Oil Palm, PNG’s biggest and most-valuable agriculture crop, which brings in over K1 billion a year. Mr Maneke is from Nakanai, West New Britain, one of the biggest oil palm districts in Papua New Guinea and has been a strong advocate for the industry. “South Fly MP Seki Agisa is Minister for Livestock, an industry which thrived pre-Independence, but has since been reduced to a skeleton. Western, Minister Agisa’s home province, has huge tracts of unused land which can be used for development of livestock; and “Anglimp-South Wahgi MP Joe Kuli is Minister for Coffee, another crop which has seen better days, but no longer produces the same volume it once used to. The Wahgi Valley, Mr Kuli’s home, once housed some of the biggest coffee plantations in PNG which grew the fledgling industry in the 1960s. One of his major tasks will be to revive the legendary Wahgi Mek plantations of the valley. “We want to see import replacement and more exports within the agriculture sector, which is we have allocated four separate ministries to agriculture,” Mr Marape said. “Copra, cocoa, vanilla and other spices, and rice will be the key focuses of Minister Tambua as Agriculture Minister.” He also highlighted his aspirations for East Sepik to be the vanilla capital of the world, saying: “This is not an impossibility, with Papua New Guinea – mainly through East Sepik – being one of the top vanilla producers in the world with the World Bank predicting that Papua New Guinea will soon become No. 2 after Madagascar. “East Sepik is also the top producer of cocoa in Papua New Guinea with the country’s cocoa being rated very highly in the world for quality. “The government has plans to develop the massive Sepik Plains into the biggest agriculture hub of the country.”