Prime Minister James Marape has welcomed the US$250 million Agri-Connect Program, which was launched in Goroka this week.
The program is supported by the World Bank, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD), International Finance Corporation (IFC) and other like-minded partners.
Mr Marape described this partnership as a strategic intervention designed to link farmers, entrepreneurs and agribusinesses across Papua New Guinea in a coordinated and structured manner.
He said agriculture remained PNG’s greatest untapped opportunity for broad-based job creation and long-term economic security.
“Agriculture has remained our number one focus. We deliberately restructured the sector because we need results. This is where our greatest strength lies,” Mr Marape said.
The Prime Minister reaffirmed his Government’s “unwavering commitment” to agriculture as the central pillar of PNG’s economic transformation, declaring that the sector holds the key to creating one million sustainable family-based livelihoods across the country.
He called on all provincial governments to demonstrate strong ownership of the program.
“We cannot rely solely on mining and oil and gas for mass employment. Agriculture is where we can create economic activity for families across the country,” Mr Marape said.
He highlighted strong international demand for PNG agricultural produce, noting that Asian markets alone provide access to more than four billion consumers.
“The market is there. The opportunity is there. The question is whether we are ready to produce at scale,” he said.
Launching the initiative in Eastern Highlands Province, the Prime Minister announced that the province would serve as the focal point of the program’s roll-out.
He emphasized that if one million families each earn a minimum of K10,000 annually from agricultural activity, this alone would inject at least K10 billion into the national economy every year.