For the Central Province, agriculture is at the heart of the economy. Governor Rufina Peter has a background in this field and is well-placed to understand the impact that it can have in the province. This has moved Governor Peter to fund and support two major agriculture impact projects in the Central Province, and funding for them was presented at th...

In a major announcement made recently, Prime Minister Hon. James Marape revealed his ambitious plan to transform Jiwaka, the home of the great Wahgi Valley, into the “agriculture powerhouse” of Papua New Guinea by 2025—the year marking the country’s 50th anniversary of independence. Addressing a massive crowd of thousands at the launch of the North Wah...

The Independent State of Papua New Guinea through the Ministry of International Trade and Investment signed a historic MOU with Wilmar International Limited recently. Minister for International Trade and Investment, Hon. Richard Maru described this MOU signing as the “start of the agriculture transformation in Papua New Guinea”. “This is the first time...

Prime Minister Hon. James Marape officially inaugurated the Fisheries Small-Scale Vessel Monitoring Platform, known as the NEMO tracking system, on Tuesday, November 21, 2023, at Parliament’s State Function Room. Developed by the National Fisheries Authority (NFA), the NEMO tracking system is a groundbreaking initiative designed to strengthen the manag...

Prime Minister Hon. James Marape recently engaged in bilateral discussions with Palau President H.E. Surangel Whipps and Solomon Islands Prime Minister Hon. Manasseh Sogavare on the sidelines of the XVII Pacific Games in Honiara. Upon returning from Honiara, where he attended the opening ceremony on Sunday, November 19, 2023, Prime Minister Marape high...

Prime Minister Hon. James Marape announced today that the government has granted initial approval for the establishment of a Rice Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in the country. This groundbreaking development may include a joint venture between the State and Rigo Rice. Prime Minister Marape underlined the government’s commitment to kickstart a substantial...

Minister for International Trade and Investment, Hon. Richard Maru is calling for establishment and commercialization of the kava industry in Papua New Guinea (PNG). Minister Maru made this call after learning from the two Fijians who attended the 14th World Indigenous Business Forum in Port Moresby recently that the demand for kava in Fiji and the Pacifi...

Central Province marked a milestone on the 27th of September 2023 as the Cocoa Board (CB) of PNG officially opened its Southern Regional Office in Port Moresby. The board also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Central Provincial Government in a significant ceremony, which will now form a pathway for Central Cocoa Central Governor R...

In driving the importance of agriculture throughout the Central Province, the Southern Regional Department of Agriculture and Livestock hosted a weeklong workshop ending on the 8th of September with the local Avi Avi Cooperative society being the host venue in Aipeana village, Mekeo.  Cocoa and vanilla farmers came from the nearby Inaui village to shar...

One of the world’s biggest and most profitable agriculture company Wilmar International Limited is keen to partner the Government of Papua New Guinea to invest in more large-scale agriculture investments in the country. Wilmar International Limited was founded in 1991 and is Asia’s leading agribusiness group today with over 500 manufacturing plants and...

Agriculture plays a vital role in the economy of Papua New Guinea, extending beyond subsistence farming in rural communities, and is an integral part of developing the Central Province through labour force and export revenues. This was the basis of a weeklong Agriculture Sector Stakeholder Workshop, hosted by the Central Governor’s office and Provincia...

The Marape Government has ambitious plans to escalate palm oil production through enhanced collaboration and equity participation of all stakeholders in the palm oil industry, according to Oil Palm Industry Corporation (OPIC) General Secretary, Kepson Pupita. He made this announcement during his address at the Council of Palm Oil Producing Countries (CPOP...

Papua New Guineans are paying 100% more for rice than they should be, according to a local commercial rice company, Rigo Rice. Rigo Rice has been growing and selling rice for the last five years in their small commercial farm at Rigo in Central Province. They sell their rice to wholesalers for K3 plus GST. Owner of Rigo Rice, Mr. Jeffery Kennedy said the ...

Live cattle import is not the best option to develop the cattle industry in Papua New Guinea; It is a risk rather than good, says the Minister for International Trade and Investment, Hon. Richard Maru. Minister Maru was making a reference to a news article published by Post Courier (Tuesday, June 27, 2023) on the Livestock Development Corporation’s (LD...

Papua New Guinea continues to work towards achieving the development sustainable goals of being self-reliant in meat production by 2025. As part of this vision, officials from the Livestock Development Corporation and the minister responsible for livestock, Segie Agiso, recently travelled to North Queensland in Australia to visit Sugarbag Cattle company, ...

Photo: Recent Visit by Fijian PM and Delegation to Ilimo Farm Papua New Guinea has a warm and rainy climate, rich soil, and abundant water resources, and is blessed with naturally adaptable conditions for farming a wide variety of crops. Despite these favourable factors, the country still relies on imports to feed its population. Among the top impor...