Papua New Guinea’s agriculture sector is set to undergo a major transformation under a new long-term strategy designed to shift the country from subsistence farming to a commercially driven economy.

National Agricultural Research Institute (NARI) Director General Dr Nelson Simbiken says the “Reset@50” initiative is a strategic review and forward-looking framework that will guide agricultural research and development in Papua New Guinea over the next 50 years.

Dr Simbiken said the initiative is a critical pillar in implementing the National Agriculture Sector Plan 2024–2033, which aims to improve food security, strengthen rural livelihoods and drive economic growth.

He said Reset@50 is not simply a review of past performance but a comprehensive effort to modernize the national agricultural research system and reposition agriculture as a robust and commercially viable engine for national development.

“Agricultural research is the foundation of how we move the sector forward,” Dr Simbiken said, noting that PNG must move beyond incremental improvements and establish a coordinated, high-impact research system that responds to changing market demands.

As part of the reform, NARI is reviewing its legislation to address long-standing technological and policy gaps that have limited the scaling and commercialization of research outputs.

Dr Simbiken said the proposed amendments to the NARI Act will strengthen governance and accountability, improve operational efficiency and create legal pathways for research institutions to commercialize innovations and partner more effectively with the private sector.

He said a new National Agricultural Research System (NARS) policy framework will also be introduced to ensure alignment across government agencies, universities, research institutions, NGOs and the private sector.

The framework aims to reduce duplication, encourage collaboration and direct investment into priority value chains with the greatest potential for commercial growth.

Dr Simbiken said Reset@50 represents a shift in NARI’s role from being solely a research institution to becoming a strategic coordinator of the national agricultural innovation ecosystem.

He said the initiative is essential to transforming rural farmers into commercial producers, creating jobs and building a sustainable agriculture-based economy for Papua New Guinea.