Dept heading rehabilitation of coffee plantations

THE rehabilitation of coffee plantations must come under appropriate agencies with transparent and accountable systems, an official says.
The Department of Trade, Commerce and Industry under its cooperative society is driving the rehabilitation of run-down coffee plantations.
Chairman of Coffee Industry Corporation’s productive partnerships in agriculture project (CIC-PPAP) Ian Mopafi said the modality must take over efforts to revive these plantations.
He said the PPAP in partnership with 35 lead partners in 10 coffee-growing provinces was successfully rehabilitating gardens and blocks with more than 35,000 farmers.
“The productive partnerships in agriculture project  coffee modality provides for accountability and good governance with stringent monitoring, evaluation and reporting tools as per co-financiers World Bank regulations and guidelines,” he said.
“This is why PPAP must revive coffee plantations with the outcome-based approach. Good governance and accountable practice under PPAP coffee modality will deliver results.
“PPAP can address run-down plantations as long as the people reallocate the land into smaller blocks.
“We already have a precedent on this with a project’s lead partner in the Dei council area of Jiwaka successfully rehabilitating coffee blocks.”
Mopafi issued the statement on behalf of the PPAP coffee industry coordination committee expressing concern of the likely wastage of public funds on consultants and paper farmers.
“This looks like another national agriculture development project where millions were used by consultants and paper farmers,” Mopafi said.