By Juanita Nonwo – EM TV Online
A new report was recently launched under the commission of UNDP’s Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) REDD+ Readiness project with the Climate Change Development Authority (CCDA).
With PNG’s focus on increasing production of agricultural commodities such as coffee cocoa and palm oil, this report, ‘Sustainable Agricultural Commodities Assessment in Papua New Guinea’ comes in no better time than now; highlighting the importance of sustainable agriculture and ways in which PNG can adapt to allow productive agriculture and at the same time protect surrounding environments and the rainforest.
In todays’ global market, demand for sustainably-produced products is increasing.
People want to buy food that did not cost a forest the size of a football field. This places a need for PNG to adapt to the global trends if it wants to take advantage of the international markets and scale up in commercial agriculture.
The report also stands in line with the continuous efforts of CCDA and the PNG Forest Authority to develop a national strategy for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation (REDD+) an international climate change mechanism that PNG has been at the forefront of developing.
The presentation of the report aimed at getting together the various stakeholders for input from the private sectors, the government agencies, development partners and the civil society.
Key recommendations of the study included:
A need for a national policy for sustainable palm oil to help guide future expansion. Establishing a multi-stakeholder palm oil platform to strengthen coordination in the sector and help to both develop and oversee policy implementation is outlined as area of priority.
Present at the event, the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture and Livestock, Dr Vele Pat Ila’ala, stated the importance of agricultural crops such as oil palm, cocoa and coffee in socioeconomic development of PNG, calling for a complete paradigm shift by integrating innovative and sustainable approaches.
Work will continue as part of CCDA’s effort to integrate climate change mitigation and adaptation actions with national development priorities.
