Coffee bags stranded in the Highlands

COFFEE bags worth millions of kina bound for overseas markets are stranded in the Highlands region.
PNG coffee exports manager, Colin Williams, confirmed they had 20 containers of green bean coffee bags still stranded in Goroka, Eastern Highlands province.
He said their operation was severely affected by the road conditions but the banks allowed their cheques to be cashed while they relied on standby generators during the constant power blackouts.
The 20 containers for export have a value of around K1.5 million, according to Mr Williams.
Kongo Coffee managing director, Jerry Kapka, said they have been double-hit with the road closure and commu-nication blackouts.
“We have not been able to move our coffees to Lae for export and our shipments have been delayed continuously.
“We have several loads of imports coming up but have also been delayed due to the roadblocks.
“Our fuel supplies have also dried up and it won’t be long before all our vehicles are grounded,” Mr Kapka said.