In the lush plains of Cape Rodney in the Abau District, within Papua New Guinea’s Central Province, more than a thousand rubber trees stand as silent witnesses to decades of agricultural ambition and, more recently, to a growing sense of abandonment. Once a hub of rural enterprise and a key player in the nation’s cash crop economy, the region’s rubber ...

The Cape Rodney Farmers & Settlers Association (CRFSA) in Abau District, Central Province is leading Papua New Guinea’s rubber production push with an ambitious development plan. The group announced a 10-year plan to cultivate 100 million rubber trees across the country, potentially turning thousands of hectares of arable land into productive rubbe...

Prime Minister Hon. James Marape has issued a powerful call to action for Papua New Guinea to transform its agriculture sector through unified public-private partnerships, during the official opening of the National Agriculture Industry Public–Private Sector Partnership Conference in Lae. The five-day conference, which ran from 7–11 April 2025, brought...

Prime Minister Hon. James Marape has reaffirmed agriculture as the cornerstone of Papua New Guinea’s future economic growth, urging all stakeholders to rally behind a united national effort to unlock the full potential of the agriculture sector. Delivering the keynote address at the closing of the National Agriculture Industry Public-Private Sector Par...

Prime Minister Hon. James Marape has thanked the New Zealand Government for the engage-ment of Papua New Guineans, who are currently working and living in Blenheim, New Zealand. Prime Minister Marape expressed his appreciation to the Government of New Zealand and the employers especially Hortus Ltd for employing Papua New Guineans through the Recognise...

Minister for International Trade and Investment, Hon. Richard Maru, has presented the final report on the government’s investigation into the business practices in the Oil Palm Industry on the floor of Parliament. Addressing Parliament on March 13, Minister Maru spoke of the historical significance of this investigation. “This is the first time in the ...

Prime Minister Hon. James Marape has announced that the National Executive Council (NEC) has approved the National Palm Oil Policy 2025-2030 during its meeting on Monday, 10 March 2025. The Prime Minister commended the Minister for Oil Palm, Hon. Francis Maneke, and the Oil Palm Industry Corporation (OPIC) for their leadership in driving the policy for...

Sustainable agricultural growth in Papua New Guinea hinges on investing in people rather than just crops, Dr. Eric Omuru, Managing Director and Principal Consultant of E.E. Omuru Limited, said during his plenary keynote at the Central Province Investment Conference (CPIC) 2024. The CPIC was co-hosted by the Central Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc....

Global coffee and cocoa prices have soared to record levels, driven by severe supply disruptions and adverse weather conditions in key producing regions, according to the latest Papua New Guinea Westpac Wallis, February 2025 Report. Coffee prices jumped 94% over the past year, with a 13.6% increase in the last month alone. Meanwhile, cocoa prices are 133%...

Prime Minister Hon. James Marape has issued a strong call to action for Papua New Guinea’s agriculture sector, urging an immediate shift from subsistence farming to commercial agriculture as a means of driving economic growth, job creation, and national self-sufficiency. Speaking after a high-level meeting with agricultural leaders and key stakeholders...

Prime Minister Hon. James Marape has commended the Ministry of Coffee, Ministry of Livestock, and Ministry of Oil Palm for their outstanding performance in 2024, highlighting their contributions to economic growth, rural development, and Papua New Guinea’s agriculture sector. Speaking after a meeting with Agriculture Minister Hon. John Boito, Coffee Mi...

The Minister for International Trade and Investment, Hon. Richard Maru, announced the acquisition of majority shares in the Sepik Fresh Poultry Farm by the Australian company Taylor Pacific. The investment, worth K30 million, marks an important expansion in Papua New Guinea’s poultry industry and strengthens the country’s goal of achieving self-suffici...

Prime Minister Hon. James Marape has called for urgent global action against illegal fishing and the exploitation of Pacific fisheries, emphasising that Pacific nations have been stewards of the ocean for centuries. Speaking at the Honiara Summit on Sustainable Fisheries, he urged major global powers to take responsibility for their role in sea pollution ...

Six-model rice farmers have begun hands on training to become commercial rice farmers through Trukai Industries’ Smart Farmer Internship Program. These farmers commenced their three-month internship training at Trukai’s Erap Farm in Lae, Morobe Province, on January 27 and are the first batch of interns in this quarterly program, with other batches sche...

Prime Minister Hon. James Marape has welcomed Papua New Guinea’s official membership in the Council of Palm Oil Producing Countries (CPOPC), marking a historic milestone for the nation’s oil palm industry. PNG joins Indonesia, Malaysia, and Honduras as the fourth member of the global palm oil organisation, strengthening the country’s position in internati...

One of the most pressing issues raised by Papua New Guinea’s Minister for Foreign Trade and Investment, Hon. Richard Maru, is the state of the oil palm industry, which he described as being in “a mess.” MP Maru revealed that the government has commissioned an independent investigation to address regulatory gaps, pricing disparities, laws, and policy, i...