The low Kina , Dutch Disease and Agriculture as Antidote.
By GABRIEL RAMOI As PNG stands poised in entering the exclusive club of Gas Exporting Nations in 2014 we are beginning to see early symptoms s of the debilitating effect of Dutch Disease on the economy with farmers in Hela given up on Producing local Food for daily consumption and opting instead to buy imported tinned food in Trade stores using the over K1 Billion of the so call seed capital made available to land owners to placate them into allowing the establishment of the First LNG Project in PNG and now with the free fall of the Kina directly linked to the slowdown to the construction phase of the LNG project as it nears completion compounded with a over anxious Treasurer keen on spending ahead of the much anticipated receipt for the sale of its gas by running two deficit budget in a row. The antidote to the fall of the Kina and the Dutch disease lies in revamping Agriculture for both the Export market and the domestic economy. Export of Agriculture products wins hard