Food Ban will Boost Local Production in PNG

According to the head of one of PNG's biggest commercial farming operations, the government's ban on imported fruit and vegetables will ultimately assist small scale farmers. The Agriculture Minister Tommy Tomscoll says the purpose of the recently announced ban is to boost local production.Some people have slated the act as ill-considered and say there isn't sufficient locally grown produce to supply markets like Port Moresby. But Laurence Thomason, the General Manager of Sogeri Primary Produce says though there'll be some early pain, the ban will benefit local growers who are presently offered no incentives to grow commercial crops.