Papua New Guinea, a country with 46.2-million hectares of rich land and a population of only 10-million, now looms as the Philippines’ best hope to feed its growing population 40 to 50 years from now.
This major food security development emerged this week as Prime Minister James Marape welcomed a Philippine Agricultural Group’s proposal to develop his country’s rice industry to supply PNG’s annual requirement of about 400,000-metric tons.
The initial target for Rice production is an area of 890-hectares which would serve as the Nucleus farm and learning center in Gabadi, Central province.
The expansion area in the same district, however, could reach up to 150,000-hectares of undeveloped agricultural land with a potential of up to 5-million hectares in other parts of the country.
“Help us develop our Rice Industry and anything that you produce in excess of what we (Papua New Guinea) need, you could bring home with you to the Philippines,” Prime Minister James Marape told the delegation which I headed during a call in his office on Wednesday.
Prime Minister Marape’s statement was a confirmation of an agreement forged six years ago between PNG and the Philippines on Agricultural Cooperation when I was Secretary of Agriculture.
On the instructions of then President Rodrigo Duterte after his meeting with then PNG Prime Minister Peter O’Neill in the sidelines of the APEC Meeting in Danang, Vietnam in 2016, I engaged PNG Agriculture officials in the establishment of a Rice Demonstration Farm in the compound of the Pacific Adventist University in the outskirts of the capital Port Moresby.
Funded by a young Filipino businessman, Jomerito Soliman, the Demo Farm yielded an average of 8-metric tons per hectare, double the Philippine average yield.
In spite of the positive developments, many failed to see the long-term implication of the initiative to Philippine Food Security.
In fact, when news of the project broke out, I was ridiculed and subjected to criticism.
Until today, many critics still do not realize that by engaging PNG and getting Filipino groups to undertake the development of the Rice Industry of the country, the Philippines is virtually ensured of sufficient rice supply for the next 40 to 50 years.
The renewed engagement between the Philippines and Papua New Guinea was initiated by Prime Minister Marape and International Trade and Investments Minister Richard Maru as the Marape Government moves towards attaining Food Self-Sufficiency, especially rice which is almost 100% imported.
While this initiative now is purely a private sector endeavour, this is the result of a long-term vision for Food Security which I introduced under the administration of President Duterte.
This is a Win-Win undertaking for both PNG and the Philippines with Papua New Guinea feeding its people with locally produced rice and the Philippines assured of a sustainable supply of rice planted by Filipinos in a friendly country.
#LongTermFoodSecurityPlanning!
#KungGustoMaramingParaan!
#ConsitencyIsKey!
(Video by Roselyn Parillo taken in Rigo, Central Province Rice Farm owned by a local lawyer, Jeff Kennedy.)
Rice Supply Ensured! Papua New Guinea Looms As PH Biggest Rice Source
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