CIC is custodian of coffee: Official

THE Coffee Industry Corporation is the custodian of the industry’s rehabilitation efforts carried out by Productive Partnerships in Agricultural Project (PPAP), project manager Potaisa Hombunaka says.
He said the World Bank and the International Fund for Agricultural Development were financing the project.
It is being implemented by a Project Management Unit operating under the corporation.
“It is a World Bank and IFAD funded project through a loan facility provided to the PNG Government,” Hombunaka said
“Effectively, the Government is funding this project.
“This must be understood because at the end of the day, our children and grand-children will pay back this loan.”
Hombunaka was addressing PPAP partners and farmers during the World Bank implementation support mission visit to Goroka and Mt Hagen last month. He urged partners in the coffee rehabilitation work to put in an honest effort to increase coffee production and quality so that farmers can get a better price.
“If we do not perform well, Government will get money from other sources to repay the loan and this will be a burden for our children and grand children,” Hombunaka said.
The majority of the country’s population, living in rural areas is mainly dependent on agriculture for their livelihoods.
Coffee and cocoa are the main cash crops, with half of the country’s total workforce involved in their production, processing and sale.
Despite its importance, the quality and productivity of these crops has been declining.
PPAP aims to improve the livelihoods of smallholder farmers and promote rural development and poverty reduction more broadly.