By Godwin Eki
Minister for Agriculture and Livestock, Aiye Tambua accepted an invitation from the Chinese Government to attend the 2nd China-Pacific Island Countries Agriculture and Fisheries Forum to be held in Jiangsu Province of China in May 2023.
The meeting is critical especially when considering the government is prioritizing and restoring Agriculture as the foundation to the development of the economy after years of neglect and reliance on the non-renewable resources division.
Minister Tambua said the forum was important for PNG and the Pacific as a whole in order to draw on the expertise and cooperation of China to enhance the industries in individual countries.
He said the invitation to Papua New Guinea was also reciprocal following an official visit to the country by China’s Deputy Minister for Agriculture and Rural Affairs Mr Ma Youxiang and his delegation recently from April 12-16, 2023.
China’s visit is a continuation of discussions covering, Technical Cooperation, Capacity Building and Personnel Exchanges, Trade and Investment, Sustainable Development and Funding.
Minister for Agriculture and Coffee, Oil Palm and Livestock, all acknowledged and agreed with the detailed contents of the first and second Nanjing proposals relating to the consensus and strategic cooperation between China-PICs in Agriculture and Fisheries.
“I look forward to these coming discussions because we cannot waste any time but to work hard towards implementing the accords reached at these bilateral talks for the benefit of our people and the economy of this country,” Minister Tambua said.
“Papua New Guinea stands ready to finalize the outcomes reached at these bilateral talks and I have tasked my Department to ensure no time is wasted once final agreements are reached between our two countries” he said.
