Papua New Guinea's government has been urged not to use an agricultural summit to promote expansion of industrial agriculture.
The call from community advocacy group ACT NOW comes as the government prepares to host its first ever National Agriculture Summit this month.
Agriculture minister Benny Allan says the summit is about unlocking the economic potential of the agriculture sector.
ACT NOW's Eddie Tanago says while the idea of a summit is good, the govenment has done little to help the average farmer in PNG.
Food production in Papua New Guinea
Photo: RNZ / Johnny Blades
Transcript
Eddie Tanago says ACT NOW is also wary of the Agriculture Summit being used as a vehicle for efforts to grab more land on behalf of foreign companies.
The NGO says it is of great concern to see the agriculture sector being managed by Mr Allan, the former Lands Minister who oversaw 5 years of government inaction on the illegal Special Agriculture Business Lease system.
This system, found by a commission of inquiry to be a state-sponsored land grab, was associated with illegal logging and often unlawful encroachment of oil palm onto customary land.
EDDIE TANAGO: The farmers and us, we welcome the good idea of the government to have this summit. But what we are concerned about is that the focus should be on the Papua New Guinea's three million rural farmers who very much entirely depend on the land. So instead of having focus on a large scale or industrial company the focus should very much be on resources that better provide extension services for rural farmers; and also particularly on infrastructure, and for making the market accessible to infrastructure.
JOHNNY BLADES: Why has the government in the past not focussed more on these things, in terms of the farmers' needs?
ET: The focus now of the government is very much on looking at getting foreign investment from outside, rather than looking at empowering local communities. The government system is looking at revenue raising activities; and looking at also the export-driven stuff. That's where the focus of the government is at right now. Instead of trying to help local farmers, they think the answer is through large-scale, industrial companies that come in to exploit the people. So the focus now for the government is looking at an economy that is export driven. That's why the government puts so much effort into inviting foreign investors, to not only exploit the economy but our people's land. The customary land also is taken away. And this is disempowering for the people.
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