Prime Minister Hon. James Marape has reaffirmed that agriculture remains the bedrock of Papua New Guinea’s national identity, economic progress, and long-term resilience, as he delivered a powerful address to open the 14th National Agricultural Innovations Show hosted by the National Agricultural Research Institute (NARI) at Bubia, Lae.
In a pre-recorded speech aired during the opening ceremony, Prime Minister Marape apologised for not being physically present due to ongoing Parliament sittings, but gave his full support and endorsement to the event.
“Agriculture has been the backbone of our country,” the Prime Minister stated. “We are an agriculture nation. We have been in practice and in cultivation of agriculture for as long as our ancestors lived in this part of planet Earth.”
Highlighting the international significance of Papua New Guinea’s agricultural history, he reminded attendees of the Kuk World Heritage Site—an area with more than 10,000 years of agricultural evidence, recognised globally by UNESCO.
“We are amongst the oldest nation on Earth in as far as agriculture is concerned,” he said.
The Prime Minister underlined that agriculture is central to the Marape-Rosso Government’s long-term national development strategy, especially through the Take Back PNG agenda and the Medium-Term Development Plan IV (MTDP IV). At the heart of this policy is the creation of one million jobs and the transformation of rural livelihoods.
“The one million jobs that we want to create in the MTDP IV that we’ve launched has agriculture deep inside,” he said. “Migrating over a million families from just hand and subsistence agriculture to commercial agriculture. This is not just a dream, it must be put into motion and transformed into reality.”
“The Marape-Rosso Government’s Take Back PNG philosophy is all about us finding a purpose in where we are located, and it is no secret. By now, six years on into our government, we have strongly focused on agriculture-led support for our economy. The focus to grow our economy to a K200 billion economy and getting all our people engaged is deeply focused on agriculture as the key enabler.”
Prime Minister Marape emphasised that the NARI Agricultural Innovations Show is not just a routine gathering, but a vital dialogue aligned with the nation’s present and future.
“This session — the 14th session on agricultural research, science, innovation, and commercial agriculture — is a timely and relevant conversation for contemporary Papua New Guinea.”
He recognised NARI’s vital role in this transformation, praising the institution as “our nation’s premier agriculture and research institute” and challenging it to lead through evidence- based research, innovation, and practical solutions for farmers.
“Your research must be into the space of agriculture—better crop yields, introducing scientific studies and data into the conversation to produce maximum yield,” he urged. “ Which part of our country has potential for what type of agricultural crops—those must be part of the core focus of NARI today and going forward into the future.”
As Papua New Guinea prepares to mark 50 years of independence, Prime Minister Marape called on key institutions like NARI to be at the forefront of the country’s development.
“We’re now facing 50 years of nationhood. Key institutions like NARI must continue to contribute to the progress of our country.”
He pointed to the reality that most Papua New Guineans — up to 90% — still live in rural areas and rely on agriculture, noting that these citizens are already practising agriculture but need government and institutional support to move into the commercial sphere. “Our people are still on the land in the rural enclaves of our country. They are already in practice of agriculture. We now as a government must infuse scientific methodology, provide the right data, establish the right seeds in our seed banks and link to the entire value chain – not just market for domestic consumption, but more importantly market for the international market.”
The Prime Minister reaffirmed the Government’s readiness to support NARI and strengthen partnerships across sectors to ensure science-led agricultural transformation benefits farmers directly.
“Government stands ready to empower NARI, work with NARI so that the work you do translates to empowering our farmers out there,” he said. “For production to increase, replacing imports in items like rice and processing more local produce for export to Pacific Island nations including Australia and New Zealand, as well as to Asia.”
He highlighted the enormous market potential in the region, especially in neighbouring Asia: “The four billion people in Asia, only a flight or a ship away from PNG — we could market our produce to the Asian marketplace.”
Reiterating agriculture’s foundational role in the nation’s development, Prime Minister Marape concluded by urging all stakeholders to remain committed and contribute meaningfully as PNG celebrates its 50th year of independence.
“I have absolutely no doubt agriculture is PNG’s backbone,” he said. “As it has supported our traditional life up to today, we must now make the transition from just subsistence agriculture to commercial agriculture. We can migrate 80% to 90% of Papua New Guinean families who are on the land to earning a meaningful income for their family, and more importantly their children’s progress and development in life.”
“Thank you very much. God bless each and every one of you. Prepare for our 50th anniversary that is coming up. Contribute your contributions to making PNG a better place. God bless.”