Cupping success for farmers

By LEO WAFIWA
THE success of four farmer groups in the September 2016 National Coffee Cupping competition is a testimony to the coffee rehabilitation effort being carried out by Coffee Industry Corporation’s Productive Partnerships in Agriculture Project (CIC-PPAP).
The farmer cooperative groups were newcomers to the challenge but three finished as top 10 finalists and SLS CDA Gumini of Simbu Province received a provincial award as recognition for their successful participation.
Two farmer groups from Jiwaka- Kosem/PPAP of North Waghi and Kosem/PPAP of South Waghi – finished 4th and 6th respectively out of 114 Arabica competitors.
Growers from the great Waghi Valley known for its fertile and productive agriculture land also made history to become the first in Jiwaka to export their quality green bean coffee directly overseas to South Korea for a better price.
The other CIC-PPAP farmer group to win a top 10 spot in the coffee competition was Leiuhu Cooperative of Miruma village in Upper Asaro, Eastern Highlands. The farmers are co-partners of CDA Goroka who occupied the 7th position. Jiwaka farmers were part of a group marketing concept which started only this year in June. It is an initiative of John Munnul, managing director of Kosem Coffee Ltd, and his son Mark, who is project coordinator of the CIC- PPAP funded project.
“This is the beginning of a long journey and we will continue to walk further,” says John Munnul during the launch of their container at Kosem Coffee factory premises in Banz on Friday 9 September.
“They have different understandings of coffee certification process and bringing them together was not easy,” Munnul recounted.
According to the PNG Coffee Handbook (2nd Edition), certified coffees take one or more aspects of sustainability into account. This means the coffee must grow in a healthy environment, is economically viable for farmers, promotes fairness among farmers and workers, or all three aspects. Additionally, certified coffee meets all guidelines set by coffee growers and is verified by a certification organization.
Certification was the catalyst for the Munnul’s to sustain a long-term relationship with the farmers after the end of PPAP project.
“I was concerned with sustainability. We should have a catalyst for us to continue to go to the farmers which led us to group marketing,”
John said. To build trust and support amongst the farmers the Munnul’s began working with selected farmers from the North and South Waghi Valley.
The farmers had a choice of offering parchment coffee for instance cash to pay for their daily needs while some bags were provided for processing to green bean under group marketing.
All the parchment coffee was catered together at the Kosem factory premises in Banz. Mark had to work with the farmers every day for about three months. One of their many tasks was to remove bad parchment and drying the beans on raised beds.
Prior to the Cupping competition, the result was “A” category which is 86 per cent of total coffee brought in for group marketing.
The successful outcome was reflected in the September Coffee Cupping competition held at Lae Internationa Hotel.
It is a huge achievement for the Munnul’s with the professional support of CIC officer Philip Puke and PPAP consultant Steven Tevo to begin the change in farmers’ attitude who had been selling of cherries or parchment on roadsides.
“It sends a big signal to the other participants of the National Coffee Cupping competition. My big congratulations to fulfil the Tree-to-Cup policy which aims to connect farmers with overseas market,” says Chief Executive Officer of CIC Charles Dambui.
“If Jiwaka can send a container to an overseas market I believe the others must set the same example.
“I acknowledge the foresight of Kosem Coffee Ltd, hard work of the farmers who are very important people for the coffee sector, PPAP consultants and financiers of the project namely World Bank, IFAD (International Fund for Agricultural Development) and PNG Government.”
Project Manager Potaisa Hombunaka acknowledges his predecessor David Freyne and CIC-PPAP consultants for a job well done because they were the ones who contributed significantly to delivering these outstanding results. Female farmers were also recognized in this milestone achievement for Jiwaka. One is Emelda Take of Kormil Kana Village in South Waghi who contributed four bags of coffee.
“Taim mi kisim pe em antap liklik na mi askim olsem, nogut yupela givim blo narapela fama tu long mi,” (When I got a little bit more I had to ask whether they had mistakenly included another farmer’s payment with mine). She now understands the importance of producing quality coffee and added that the price hike should have happened a long time ago. After all internal costs of processing and marketing, the farmers are now paid at the rate of K5.50 plus per kilogram of parchment compared to roadside price of less than K4 per kg.
The group’s total price of K17,000 from the cupping competition is being used to construct raised beds to dry coffee instead of on the ground hence aiming for higher quality in the coming years.
Kosem is also constructing small sheds with a room as office and the other to store up to 50 parchment bags with the building now powered by a solar power costing less than K4,000.
The current practice is drying coffee on canvas on the ground and coffee stored in house hence soil and smoke contamination.
For the farmers of Miruma village in Eastern Highlands, it wasn’t an easy task for two women behind the scene, field technical consultant Maureen Kahento of PPAP and CDA Goroka Project Coordinator, Emy Tom. Changing a farmer’s attitude or mindset is a difficult task as Kahento recalls an experience where she emptied a bag full of low quality parchment and told the male farmer this is not the expected quality.
“The farmer looked at me with an angry face but regular visits to the hauslain have earned the respect and trust from the farmers who are now more cooperative. Lei-Yuho Gereve which translated in the local Daulo language means lain bilong harim tok (people who obey) successfully entered the cupping race as CDA Goroka.
The success of the PPAP farmers has received praised from several observers including the CEO of CIC.
“This is a success story for the PPAP work which in a very short time is producing some remarkable results,” says Dambui.
The National Coffee Cupping competition which started only three years ago is the best initiative so far for the industry but the challenge is sustainability.
“Our growers must continue to produce more with the same quality as per the market demand,” says Director of Policy & Planning of DAL, John Kendiga whilst congratulating
Kosem and its farmers.
Going forward, CIC-PPAP is funding 19 new and existing lead partners (up-scaling) under call 4 proposals to address quality processing of beans.
“An amount of K100,000 has been included in the budget for each partner which is specifically for integrating domesticated honey bees into coffee gardens.
“The partners will engage between 10 and 15 households on voluntary basis,”Hombunaka said.
The integration of honey bee with coffee will help to pollinate coffee trees to not only increase yield, but produce high quality cherries as well. Honey bees will also pollinate food crops etc.
Households under call 4 will also get materials that will help with quality processing of coffee.
“Farmers have been drying parchment coffee on the ground and storing them in smoke houses as confirmed during the September Coffee Cupping competition so we want to help with construction of raised beds and coffee storage houses,” explained Hombunaka.

• The author is Information & Communications Officer for the Productive artnerships in Agriculture Project under Coffee Industry Corporation.