Coffee farmer says bad road causing hindrance

LIKE many other remote parts of Morobe, deteriorating road conditions has been a setback for rural coffee growers.
A coffee farmer from Kukuya village in Sialum, Tewai-Siassi district, Sabing Niko from Loke Coffee group told The National this week that roads would ease the struggles of transporting coffee.
“We can supply coffee, there are many people in the village who are growing coffee, but the road and transport issues are not helping us,” he said.
“We can supply more during the usual coffee season, but then people have second thoughts because the enabling services such as roads are not upgraded.
“It is a struggle and many women and mothers are not able to take part in this economic activity though they grow coffee.”
Niko said the area was also known for cattle breeding, through which households earn to pay for school fees and transport services to Gagidu in Finschhafen or Lae, especially when coffee is not in season.
Matthias Wosae, of Yumi Coffee group, said the people had money, and it was in the abundance of fresh garden produce and coffee trees.
“We need markets to sell our produce and coffee and we need roads to make all this happen,” Wosae said. “For us to make money, we can do that but all we need are roads and transport.”
The duo said people had formed cooperatives and coffee groups to supply coffee, but the hardship was too much for some farmers.
Farmer Zivinu Bosingke said the Yumi Coffee group sold more than 100 bags of coffee last year but this year the number dropped to 56.