The Department of National Planning and monitoring together with the Department of Agriculture and Livestock hosted a key Agriculture Sector Coordination Meeting on Thursday (29 Aug 2024) in Port Moresby.
It is a move to advance the agriculture sector, bringing together leaders from the Commodity Boards, the National Department of Agriculture and Livestock (NDAL), the Kumul Agriculture Limited (KAL) and the National Agriculture Research Institute (NARI) under the theme, “Growing Papua New Guinea’s Economy Through Climate-Smart Commercial Agriculture Innovations and Strategic partnerships.”
Agriculture contributes 14 percent to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product and generates approximately K2,492 billion in export revenue as of the 2023 BPNG report. It remains the cornerstone of the country’s economic and cultural fabric. This was emphasized by Secretary for the Department of National Planning and Monitoring, Koney Samuel.
He said, “The call to the agriculture sector now is how we strategically position ourselves with the respective commodities we lead to ensure that PNG is gaining maximum value.”
Secretary Samuel also called for renewed focus on downstream processing urging commodity boards to identify and promote commercially feasible opportunities.
The Government has an objective to grow a K200 billion economy by 2030. Today, PNG stands as a K113 billion economy. Reaching this ambitious target within six years will require strategic alignment and innovations across all agricultural commodities.
The meeting concluded with a review of recent investments. According to the Department of National Planning and Monitoring, the Agriculture Sector will have received approximately K788.7 million from 2018 to the end of 2024.
In closing, the Secretary urged attendees to approach the coming years with a collaborative spirit, stressing that the agriculture sector’s targets are critical to the nation’s future.
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