Coffee farmers want pricing sorted

By MARK HAIHUIE
THE price has to be right for smallholder coffee farmers in order for the sector to fully realise its potential, according to a local coffee exporter.
Superior Enterprise Ltd general-manager Romius Waki said developing domestic pricing strategies could be a way to protect farmers from changes in the global coffee market. He told The National that the Chimbu-based business was looking at markets that would allow for this arrangement so their farmers earned a steady income.
“The main criticism of PNG coffee is consistency and quantity,” Waki said.
“The coffee sector is dominated by smallholder coffee farmers.
“The quality and quantity of coffee produced across the major coffee-producing provinces is fairly diverse, year in and year out, including the current season.
“From the coffee produced by small holders, some are top quality, others average and you occasionally get mediocre quality coffee.
“We have observed that one way to get farmers excited and fully committed to producing high quality coffee is the price.
“The Government needs to consider strategies that will ensure farmers are paid good prices for good quality coffee they produce.
“The pricing strategy needs not be dependent or subject to the world commodity price.”
Waki said dependence on conventional coffee markets over the years had done little to stimulate the coffee sector in Papua New Guinea to increase coffee production.
“Coffee, as a crop, has the potential to contribute more than it presently does to foreign exchange,” he said.
“The Government has to do more to the sector by injecting more budgetary support to extend and expand the industry throughout the country. We are exploring markets that are not necessarily dependent on the pricing regime set by conventional coffee markets.”