Big coffee workshop at Aiyura this year

 By KINGSTEN OKKA

PAPUA New Guinea will host this year’s Fairtrade Pacific stakeholders’ workshop, targeting coffee farmers from East Timor, Fiji, Australia and New Zealand.

The Coffee Industry Corporation (CIC) for the first time will host the event at the Research and Growers Services Division at Aiyura, Eastern Highlands. 

CIC’s coffee extension programme incorporating with Fairtrade Compliance criteria provides a new direction and a very demanding schedule, which requires a bigger staff strength and timely resource assistance. 

The Fairtrade Pacific (Australia and New Zealand) sub-network workshop would attract farmers and participants from countries that cultivate coffee and cocoa and other commodity export agencies. 

Among the objectives of the meeting include : 

• Meeting and liaising with Fairtrade certified and applicant producer organisations and support organisations in PNG; 
• to imrove and increase the understanding of Pacific input in the international Fairtrade system; 
• to introduce and share Fairtrade ANZ’s Producer Library with a specific focus on environmental tools; 
• to coordinate outreach with PNG-based agriculture and conservation-focused support organisations; 
• to work on overcoming common non-compliances faced by producer organisations in PNG.