Reehana Raza, IFAD Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific, visits Papua New Guinea to review progress and deepen partnerships

Port Moresby, 24 November 2025. Reehana Raza, Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific at the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), visited Papua New Guinea from 17-22 November to review progress of the US$46.8 million Market for Village Farmers (MVF) project in the country. She also met key government counterparts at the Department of Agriculture and Livestock, Secretary Sergie Bang, and the Department of Treasury, Secretary Andrew Oaeke.

MVF, financed by an IFAD loan of US$25.5 million and US$2.85 million from the Government of PNG (the rest contributed by project participants, financial institutions and provincial and district governments), is a major agricultural investment aiming to enhance the livelihoods of village farming households by helping them transition from semi-subsistence agriculture to market-oriented production and farming as a business. 

“The MVF Project has shown remarkable progress over the past year. We are now focused on translating that positive momentum into tangible results on the ground, especially by delivering better access through vital feeder roads and securing robust business partnerships,” said Raza. “We are committed to working closely with the Government of PNG to ensure that village farmers can efficiently take their produce to market and significantly boost their incomes,” she added.

MVF covers seven provinces – Western Highlands, Jiwaka, Simbu, Eastern Highlands, Morobe, and East New Britain and Madang – supporting value chains for fresh produce and galip nuts, targeting 23,500 farming households and directly benefiting around 117,500 people. These areas are characterized by high poverty levels, low literacy and high malnutrition rates. 

It focuses on promoting inclusive business partnerships that can provide secure and remunerative market options for farmers, ensuring a reliable supply chain, and pushes for swift spot improvements on critical feeder roads to improve market access – essential to reduce post-harvest losses and maximize returns for farmers.

MVF demonstrates encouraging results. A 2023 estimate suggests that there has been a 65 per cent increase in the percentage of produce sold by farmers participating in the project. This has been as the result of small matching grants that increase the capacity of farmers to receive required inputs and of the improved capacity of business partners to provide technical and marketing support to the participating farmers.

At the largest Small Island Developing State (SIDS) in the Pacific region, PNG is critical to IFAD’s SIDS Strategy 2022. According to 2025 estimates by the Asian Development Bank, the poverty rate in PNG is 39 per cent. The fresh food sector is critical for PNG for domestic food and nutrition security. Since 1983, IFAD has supported 5 projects in PNG, investing US$74 million to a portfolio value of US$193 million and reaching 112,240 households.

Read more about our work in PNG here

For more information, please contact:

Yamini Lohia | Regional Communications Officer, Asia-Pacific, IFAD | y.lohia@ifad.org