PHAMA PNG acknowledges partnerships for aiding program’s progress

The Pacific Horticultural and Agricultural Market Access (PHAMA) Program* in Papua New Guinea continues to gain recognition for its progress in export market facilitation. PHAMA PNG attributes this to its successful working relationship with stakeholders, including the PNG Government.

At the PHAMA Coordinating Committee meeting in Nadi, Fiji last week, PHAMA PNG Senior National Coordinator, Jane Ravusiro, acknowledged their partnerships as being a contributing factor to the program’s progress.


“Although we had all these layers in the agriculture space in PNG, little effort was put into working on government relationships. Regulatory challenges are enormous in PNG and PHAMA PNG would not have gotten anywhere if we didn’t take the time to work on these relationships,” she said.

Highlights of PHAMA PNG’s activities for 2017 and 2018 include:

• Cocoa quality training and facilitating buyer linkages through PNG’s first ever Cocoa Warwagira;
• Installing two suitable dryers to improve cocoa bean quality for boutique market facilitation;
• Coffee roasters and Q-grader or cupping training;
• Launch of the handicrafts biosecurity awareness vendor guide and video and training of trainers and handicrafts artisans and vendors;
• HACCP accreditation for agribusinesses (including fisheries business);
• Coffee market study and buyer linkages;
• Commodity marketing resource support; and
• Developing access for PNG spices to Australia.

PHAMA was established in 2011, however, the program was only introduced to PNG in 2015. Despite this, PHAMA PNG has made significant progress in the export market development of coffee, cocoa, high-value coconut products (HVCP), handicrafts, spices and fresh produce. The program also introduced public-private partnerships in the form of Industry Working Groups, a key innovation under PHAMA that brings members of the public and private sectors together to discuss market access challenges and find suitable solutions.

In addition to the IWGs established for coffee, HVCP, cocoa and fresh produce, PHAMA PNG recently established an IWG for the handicrafts industry. Ravusiro said the IWGs were run by commodity secretariats to contribute to their sustainability.