Fisheries authority funding scrapped
Post Courier (PNG), Copyright 2000
November 29, 2000
THE Government has scrapped funding for the National Fisheries Authority (NFA) in 2001, leaving it to fund its operations through internally raised revenue.
According to the 2001 Budget documents, the abolishing of funding for the NFA follows an agreement with the Department of Finance and Treasury.
The NFA was allocated K4.5 million in the 2000 Budget, but would now have to raise its own funds internally to finance its operations.
NFA, however, has been allocated K5.7 million in development expenditure, which is a fall from the allocation for this year of K7.98 million.
Other statutory organisations may also lose their budgetary support, with the Government moving to force them to be self-financing.
Those that have not given funding support also include the Water Board, Elcom, Telikom, Oil Palm Research Association, Rural Development Bank, Coffee Industry Corporation, Fresh Produce Development Corporation and Oil Palm Industry Corporation.
Most of the other statutory organisations and Government departments will receive extra funding in 2001.
The most significant increases have been made in the allocations to the Office of Privatisation and Corporatisation, which received K22 million, up from the K618,200 in the 2000 Budget; Office of Rural Development, up from K796,600 in 2000 to K2.9 million; and priority areas of health, education and police.
Several organisations also had their allocations restored after being scrapped in the 2000 Budget.
They included the Fire Services, which was allocated K7.2 million; Cocoa and Coconut Extension Agency, K1.88 million; Industrial Centres Development Corporation, now allocated K1.5 million; and the Institute of Medical Research, which received K2.1 million.
All the universities were also given increased allocations, with the University of PNG’s share boosted by a further K4 million to K29 million, and Unitech to receive K25 million, compared with the 2000 allocation of K23 million.