Coffee exporter increases buying price to regenerate people’s interest

EASTERN Highlands Governor Peter Numu declared war on established coffee exporting companies by announcing that province–owned Rumbia Coffee Exports will pay K7/kg for parchment coffee.
There will be another increase (K8) in December and further increases next year, he said.
The announcement of the increase from K6 to K7 came at the Rumbia coffee factory in Goroka last week. Numu said Rumbia Coffee Exports, a coffee exporting company, was owned by the people of Eastern Highlands.
He said lower prices had diverted coffee farmers’ interest away from coffee.
Rumbia, he said, was paying the highest price to coffee growers to regenerate people’s interest in coffee production.
“This is a war on established coffee exporting companies that have had a stranglehold on coffee prices for decades,” Numu said.
He said coffee was the major crop that kept rural economy up and running, it was the revenue-earner for family units in the Highlands.
Numu said Rumbia would offer K7 for parchment coffee right across the province, whether it was in remote Auyana, Menyamya, Mesapi, Kora, Maimafu, Kimiyau, Kenemba, Wesan or its factory door in Goroka.
The announcement was welcomed by many farmers.
“In December this year, Rumbia will pay K8 for parchment coffee and next year will see another increase, which might see the price hovering at K10 per kilo for parchment coffee,” Numu said.
“I’m sure the economics of the hike in parchment coffee price in EHP by Rumbia will be subjected to conjecture and debate based largely on world market supply and demand.
“On the ground, the price hike has been assisted by the Government with a massive injection of K7mil into Rumbia to provide price subsidy for our small coffee farmers,” he said.