A veteran member of New Caledonia's collegial government Philippe Germain has quit his portfolio as minister in charge of agriculture and fisheries.
Mr Germain made the announcement in a post on Facebook.
He said this follows a decision to take away from him the authority to run the Rural Agency which he said is essential to run the sector.
Photo: RNZI / Koroi Hawkins
Mr Germain has blamed political bickering between his Caledonia Together Party and the Future with Confidence which are the dominant forces in the anti-independence camp.
He said he regrets that serving New Caledonians is not always at the centre of the political parties' concern.
He is New Caledonia Together's only minister in the 11-member executive after the party's big losses in the last election in May.
He was the president until the poll, and stood for re-election to the Congress despite announcing a month earlier that he was quitting politics.
