According to Department of Agriculture and Livestock (DAL) Highlands region provincial and industry support services director John Jave, the spice industry needs growth and development - with farming, processing, and supporting household farming tagged as vital to the economy of the country.
“Spice in PNG has a huge potential in generating foreign exchange income if given the support for development and establishment of value chain mechanisms,” he said. “With the current trend of increase in the spices at the international arena, PNG has the potential in benefiting from such opportunities for economic growth,” Jave said government funding was crucial. I see the spice sector is dead and only few active farmers dedicate their time, effort and resources to strive against the tide of imports. This is a very unfair state for this alternative cash crop that has the potential to perform like coffee.”
Jave has expressed his appreciation for the government for touching on rural through its intervention programme and agricultural price support.
“It is a big move in the right direction that should trigger the transformation of rural communities and economic recovery,” he said. “Agriculture is the life-stream that clothes and feeds 85 per cent of the Papua New Guineans.”
