PNG agricultural products take center stage at Australia PNG Business Council Forum and Trade Expo
The 33rd Australia Papua New Guinea Business Forum and Trade Expo was a bonus for local agricultural and handicraft producers seeking to promote their products and expand their networks.
With support from the Pacific Horticultural and Agricultural Market Access (PHAMA) Program, local producers of coffee, coconut and cocoa occupied five of the 57 booths at the Trade Expo, with two of the booths dedicated to promoting Papua New Guinea handicrafts.
In addition to showcasing their products, the businesses interacted with around 400 delegates from Australia, Papua New Guinea and New Zealand who were part of the two-day forum, as well as the many Port Moresby residents who visited the booths.
Anthon Buno from Superior Coffee attends to a visitor to the trade expo. He shared the PHAMA-funded booth with BANZ Kofi and Duffy’s Cafe.
Susan Bakani of Artisan Culture, who exhibited in the handicraft booth, said she had met many visitors interested in her products and felt the expo had given her the opportunity to expand her network.
PHAMA’s support is part of its ongoing work to improve market access for Papua New Guinea industries which is in line with the Government of Papua New Guinea’s policy to promote agriculture and increase agricultural export revenue as well as improving sustainable domestic supply.
PHAMA’s country manager in Papua New Guinea, Sidney Suma said central to PHAMA’s approach was the promotion of strong public and private partnerships towards export development. He added that the Trade Expo is an excellent example of competing businesses working together with government agencies to engage and promote Papua New Guinea products.
The Australian Minister for International Development and the Pacific, Senator the Hon Concetta Fierravanti-Wells had the opportunity to meet with some of the PHAMA producers during a tour of the expo.
Senator Fierravanti-Wells was in Papua New Guinea for the Australia-Papua New Guinea Business Forum and Trade Expo.
The forum and trade show were held at the new Stanley International Hotel and Suites in Port Moresby from May 14-16. The forum theme was ‘Navigating the Cycle: Creating Opportunities in Challenging Times’. The forum is well established as a major annual bilateral business meeting between Australia and Papua New Guinea and builds on the work of both councils over more than three decades.
The Pacific Horticultural and Agricultural Market Access (PHAMA) Program is an Australian Government initiative, co-funded by the New Zealand Government.
Click on the following links to view media coverage of PHAMA’s participation in the APNG Business Council Trade Expo:
