The Credit Guarantee Corporation PNG Agri Trade Expo took place from June 24 to 27 in Port Moresby with a focus on enabling access to tailored financial products.
The Trade Expo, hosted at the APEC Haus, attracted significant international attention with its diverse array of exhibitors. Participants included banks, financial institutions, agribusinesses, exporters, hoteliers, retailers, and potential investors.
About 30 booths featured various exhibitors, highlighting a range of sectors from agriculture to finance and their contributions to the agribusiness sector.
The event promoted the cocoa and vanilla products of the Greater Sepik region, facilitating business linkages, partnerships, and relations with both national and international niche markets.
Among the exhibitors were 12 cocoa and vanilla agripreneurs, including producers and processors, from East and West Sepik Provinces.
They are part of the EU-STREIT PNG Programme under the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), which supports the development of cocoa, vanilla, and fisheries value chains by connecting them to global markets.
The Programme, a joint initiative of the European Union and United Nations agencies including FAO, ILO, ITU, UNCDF, and UNDP, is the largest EU grant-funded project in Papua New Guinea.
It focuses on enhancing sustainable economic development in rural areas, particularly in East and West Sepik, through improvements in value chains, ICT access, transport infrastructure, and renewable energy solutions.
A highlight of the event was the visit of Mr. Nobuchika Ihara, the Honorary Consul of Papua New Guinea to Japan, who expressed keen interest in the organic farming methods used in Sepik for cocoa and vanilla cultivation.
Mr. Ihara was impressed by the quality of products and requested samples of dried cocoa beans from the local farmers for testing and potential marketing in Japan.
Prior to the Expo, an SME Breakfast was held with Prime Minister Hon. James Marape, bringing together business sectors, government representatives, and industry experts as platform to discuss challenges and opportunities for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in PNG.
Industrial and business sector groups also showed their dedication to fostering SME excellence in PNG to make positive impacts on the SME community and distributing funds and prizes, sharing plans to reach individual SME targets in both nationally and internationally
The Expo and accompanying activities not only showcased the richness of PNG’s agricultural potential but also underscored the vital role of international collaborations in fostering economic growth.
EXHIBITORS:
- PNG SOLAR DRY
- Kumul Organics
- Grow Hariap
- Central Mamina
- BWCF
- Ocean Kava
- Centre For Excellence in Financial Inclusion (CEFI)
- MiBank
- KinaBank
- MoniPlus
- MamaBank
- CIS women Cake station
- Togoba Coffee
- Mama Bank
- Mandekem chicken
- Papua Niugini Freezers (PNF)
- Protein Park
- Peoples Micro Bank PMBL
- National Development Bank (NDB)
- Ela motors
- Resources and Investment Finance Limited (RIFL)
- Credit Guarantee Corporation (CGC)
- Tisa Community Finance (TCF)
- Teachers Savings and Loans Society (TISA)
- Department of Agriculture and Livestock (DAL/NASP)
- POST COURIER
- Rario
- Digital guru
- AGbook
- Internal Revenue Commission (IRC)
- International Training Institute (ITI)
