SH and Hela should be included in CIC’s list
The National, Tuesday March 4th, 2014
IT is welcoming news for coffee producers of PNG that the Coffee Industry Corporation’s new plan to revitalise the dying industry has been launched by Prime Minister Peter O’Neill.
Thanks to the acting CEO and your team for all your efforts into resurrecting the dead Industry.
While the CIC is heading in the right direction, it has seen fit to omit Southern Highland and Hela from its production map as two of the coffee growing provinces of PNG.
I am a Southern Highlander and a former employee of CIC as regional manager.
Highlands felt obliged to express these sentiments after realising that SH and Hela were not on the coffee-growing provinces’ list as reported.
The current statistics presented in the paper remains 10 years back or otherwise, production statistics for SH and Hela 10 years back reveals that SH and Hela contributes 1% of PNG’s annual coffee production, 25,000 (household) smallholders and 20 block holders ranging from 20 to 50 ha.
Major coffee growing districts of the provinces are Pangia-Ialibu with 5,000 small holders and six block holders, followed by Kagua-Erave, Nipa-Kutubu, Komo-Margarima, Koroba-Kopiago, Mendi, Tari-Pori and Imbonggu, except the Ialibu Basin, Upper Mendi and Margarima, 2000 metres above sea level.
Andrew Kaupi
Port Moresby