In the recently concluded parliamentary elections a new government was returned to office. As many as fifteen ministers and many sitting members lost their seats in parliament including two former prime ministers. Agriculture is the most important economic activity in Papua New Guinea. Coconuts, sweet potatoes, bananas and yams are important crops. Commercial crops are dominated by coffee, cocoa and copra.
Livestock includes cattle, pigs, goats and poultry.
The monetary unit of Papua New Guinea is the kina, which is divided into 100 toea. The leading exports are gold, coffee, cocoa, and timber. Copper, the most important export during the 1980s has dropped drastically in importance since the closure of the Bougainvilla mines in 1989. The principal imports are machinery and transport equipment, foodstuffs and petroleum products. Papua New Guinea's major trading partners are Australia, Japan, Germany, Great Britain, Singapore, South Korea, and the United States.