BIOSECURITY BILL WORKSHOP KICKS OFF IN LAE

The final stage of the country’s first Biosecurity Bill stakeholders’ consultation workshop kicked off in Lae, Morobe province this morning.
Pastor Giwisa Matayalli of the Resurrection Evangelical Lutheran Church led the prayer and officially opened the three day session in place of the Agriculture Minister.
Biosecurity involves safety of a nation but usually that refers to measures aimed at preventing the introduction and or spread of harmful organisms to animals and plants in order to minimize the risk of transmission of infectious disease.
Because man depends on animals and plants for food, biosecurity requires national cohesion for survival as a nation. Without food, a population starves and perishes.
And the National Agriculture Quarantine and Inspection Authority (NAQIA) is mandated by law to administer and regulate biosecurity in PNG as principal “watch dog”.
More than hundred participants from various government departments, state agencies, private sector reps as well as reps from international agencies and donor governments attended this morning’s session that is expected to finalize the framework and construction of the country’s first-ever Biosecurity Bill, first since decolonization, by end of the week.
Agriculture Minister is expected to take this Bill to Parliament any time sooner rather than later.
A proud NAQIA managing director, Mr. Joel Alu described today’s event as an “excited historical moment for PNG”.
He said following the 2002 Pacific Islands Forum leaders meeting, most Pacific Island Countries (PIC) including Fiji and Solomon Islands has their biosecurity legislations in place while PNG doesn’t and still “chasing its tail”.
He said biosecurity of plants and animals are fundamental pillars of agriculture and international trade and it was agriculture (and other renewable resources including forestry, fisheries and tourism) that will “deliver the future of PNG” not “oil and gas” (including mining as non-renewable resources) which many of our politicians are falsely led to believe.
“I expect Members of Parliament to be here today to witness this important biosecurity bill (legislation) which we are about to finalize…
“The Prime Minister has allocated four ministries to the agriculture sector with good intentions. He wants coffee to deliver, he wants livestock to deliver, and oil palm to deliver.
“And by 2050, the Prime Minister wants to see PNG economy reach a K200 billion mark. It is now up to us public servants and politicians to make it work and deliver to the people.
“In the formative days, our fathers who were serious and dedicated building blockers of our country had “delivered”. And we, if not us, who?”, Mr Alu said.