Inject more money into coffee sector, govt told

THE APO Angra Agnna Kange (AAAK) Coffee Cooperative, an entity owned by small coffee growers, is asking the Government to inject more money into the coffee industry next year.
AAAK general manager Brian Kuglame said agriculture commodities particularly coffee had the potential to generate enough revenue to sustain the national economy if export earnings increased.
He calculated that with the green bean coffee price at K7,500 per tonne, and if 3.5 million people plant coffee on a two-and-half hectare of land each, it could generate K10 billion annually.
“After realising this potential, AAAK coffee farmers in Eastern Highlands, Chimbu, Jiwaka and Western Highlands will petition the Governors of coffee-growing provinces to submit to the Government to allocate more money to the coffee industry,” he said.
He said with financial support from the Government, they could conduct a mass coffee planting exercise to produce within three years 16 million bags for export.
“At that stage, you will start to see increase in foreign currencies coming into the country and our reserves will be doubled and tripled where Papua New Guinea will no longer borrow to run the country,” he said.