Papua New Guinea Agriculture

Home to a remarkable amount of biodiversity, rich volcanic soil, bountiful waterways and a moist tropical climate, Papua New Guinea possesses all the elements to fashion itself into a thriving agricultural exporter. These native assets have supplied the basic natural building blocks providing nourishment to the country’s population throughout...

With commodity prices down, is it time for agriculture to play a bigger role in Papua New Guinea?

For the entirety of the island’s history, the vast majority of Papua New Guineans have been able to rely on the land and the sea to provide them with sustenance to meet their daily needs. Endowed with an astounding variety of fruits and vegetables, the average resident does not have to venture far from their front door to find a variety of...

The past decade have seen trying times for cocoa farmers in Papua New Guinea. They have dealt with devastating attacks by the maligned cocoa pod borer (CPB) starting in 2006, followed by a drop in cocoa market prices which have brought the industry to the brink of collapse in recent years. Concerted efforts to revive the crop were led by farmers, international aid...

Second in the agriculture segment to the palm oil industry in export value, Papua New Guinea’s forestry sector continues to expand on the back of strong regional demand for raw materials. The rate of growth for the industry has accelerated over the past decade as the government has allocated large swaths of land for agricultural development which has allowed companies to fell...

While overshadowed by energy and mining investments, Papua New Guinea’s agricultural sector is both as a key earner of foreign currency and as a primary employer for many of its citizens. The country’s fertile land makes the sector and its downstream processing and value-added spin-offs the most viable option for absorbing its growing workforce, while continuing to provide...