THE Australian government is partnering with Pacific neighbours, and with a leading international development organisation – DT Global – to grow agricultural trade with Pacific Island countries and enhance biosecurity.
Minister for agriculture David Littleproud said the program would assist Pacific Island producers to improve product quality and find new markets for their goods.
“My department and DT Global will work closely with Pacific Island nations to support growers in managing pests and also help to ensure these pests don’t get the chance to pose a threat to Australian farmers,” Mr Littleproud said.
“There are many potential pests across the Pacific including the Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle, Fall Army Worm and African Swine Fever. This important work will help to address some of these biosecurity threats.
The Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment will work closely with the Pacific Horticultural and Agricultural Market Access Program (PHAMA Plus) to help these countries increase agricultural trade and secure the livelihoods of families across the Pacific.
Minister for international development and the Pacific, Zed Seselja said the PHAMA program is helping Pacific Island exporters to comply with Australian biosecurity requirements; strengthen the capacity of biosecurity authorities through training and knowledge-sharing; and implement biosecurity processes, including surveillance and emergency preparedness.
“This program is supporting business-led economic growth in our region,” Mr Seselja said.
“PHAMA Plus supports critical jobs across the Pacific by allowing producers to gain greater access to Australian and New Zealand markets, exporting a variety of products from beef through to watermelons and sawn timber, and opening up access to global markets for cocoa, coffee, squash, kava and fish.”
PHAMA Plus team leader, Andrew Piper said the pandemic has created additional urgency to support economic recovery, particularly in the Pacific Island agriculture and horticulture sectors.
“This MOU will strengthen our existing collaboration with DAWE and provide our partner biosecurity authorities and exporters with access to the full spectrum of technical support that helps us to achieve our ultimate goal of supporting rural household income in the Pacific,” Mr Piper said.
The partnership will focus on countries in which PHAMA Plus operates: Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and Tonga, as well as other countries under Australia’s Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations Plus (PACER Plus) commitment (currently Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, the Cook Islands, Kiribati and Niue).
“Growth in our region benefits Australia – and we are committed to supporting our Pacific family recover from both the health & economic impacts of COVID-19, committing a record $1.7 billion in development assistance to our region in the 2021 Budget,” Mr Seselja said.
