Philippines, Papua New Guinea to ink 5-year agri cooperation deal

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines and Papua New Guinea are set to enter into a five-year agreement for agricultural cooperation with a focus on the rice sector.

According to the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), the agreement is expected to be signed during the scheduled visit of Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol to Papua New Guinea in the first quarter this year.

“We aim to advance the rice industry growth of Papua New Guinea and the Philippines by developing hybrid varieties, investing in infrastructure, post-harvest technologies and agribusiness, and organizing agricultural research, education and training,“ PhilRice executive director Sailila Abdula said.

The forging of the agreement is an offshoot of the meeting held by the delegates of the Philippines, led by Abdula and Philippine Ambassador to Papua New Guinea Bienvenido Tejano and the officials of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock.

Under the draft agreement, both parties are expected to promote mutual consultation, exchange of technical assistance, and joint research and development activities.

During the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit last November, the Oceanian nation considered the Philippines’ appeal on offshore tuna processing.

Papua New Guinea originally wanted all tuna catch to be processed in its country, which would affect the livelihood of fisherfolks. About 40 percent of the country’s total tuna production comes from Papua New Guinea.