John Simon, Minister for Agriculture and Livestock, has raised concerns over increased importation of fruits and vegetable in Papua New Guinea. He is convinced the nation is spending too much on these goods and hopes the government will intervene by setting up facilities, as well as providing seeds for farmers.
Simon also noted the need to encourage more people to get into farming in Kundiawa-Gembogl. Simon said there are only 5000 active farmers out of a population of about 100,000. He emphasized the urgent need for more people to be involved in farming to bring down PNG's fresh produce import bill.
Recent research suggests that with greater productivity output (and associated higher household incomes) comes greater consumption demand for higher value food, particularly in developing countries.
