Cooperative launches 100,000 nursery seedlings

The peopl e of Mohuveto number 2 village in Unggai-Bena Distirct, Eastern Highlands, had two reasons to celebrate last week.
They launched their coffee cooperative group, Numux CoffeeCooperative, and a 100,000 coffee seedling nursery and sold the first 10,000 to a coffee processing firm. Officiating at the occasion was
MP for Goroka Open and Vice Minister for Agriculture and Livestock Henry Ame.
Ame said the O’Neill government was focused on growing the agriculture and has allocated close to K1 billion to achieve this.
He urged the growers to utilise this opportunity to take part actively in agricultural activities.
“We have put funds in the National Development Bank for genuine farmers operating under groups like yours to benefit. Put your papers together and go to Port Moresby to access these funds.”
Ame also challenged the Coffee Industry Corporation (CIC) to ensure two million bags of coffee were exported by 2022.
The coffee nursery is a partnership project between CIC and the landowners , brokered in 2017.
The CIC funded the project with K50,000 and senior officer in charge of EHP Samson Jack took the lead in the set-up, training and overseeing of the well-managed nursery.
Vice Chairman of Numux Coffee Cooperative Wanpis Max said the growers group started slowly with 38 members only in 2014.
“We are now registered with the Investment Promotion Authority since November 2017 and have successfully participated in the 2016 National Coffee Cupping competition.
“We are also an active participant in coffee rehabilitation under Outspan PNG, a lead partner of CIC’s Productive Partnerships in Agriculture Project (CIC-PPAP).”
The farmers also benefited from some tools and materials like bush knives, secateurs or scissors, spades, hand coffee pulpers and canvas for coffee drying under CIC-PPAP’s tool intervention programme.
The group leader said they were excited and willing to partner CIC in more nursery projects.
“We have demonstrated what we can do. In the next project we want to work with one million coffee seedlings in this area,” Max said.
“We have no minerals like others. We rely on coffee. Government is short of money so we the people have to work on our land.”
Community lead Newman Moso thanked CIC for the partnership but wanted to see more seedlings planted in the area before remaining ones are sold to others.
Present at the launching were chairman of CIC-PPAP Ian Mopafi and Project Manager Potaisa Hombunaka, deputy chairman of CIC board of directors Ellyson Ketauwo and general manager for Industry Operations Steven Tumae.
Tumae, speaking on behalf of chief executive officer, Charles Dambui, called on Ame to support coffee development work already taking place in the area.
“We can extend the capacity to one million seedlings on a kina-tokina basis.
“Partnership is important.”
Hombunaka urged the farmers to work in a group to attract changes into their communities.
“If you want help, help yourself first. This kind of group attracts attention. NGOs, donors are looking for vehicles to drive changes. Also because it is easy to deliver services through groups.”
Also present were some representatives of some coffee processing and exporting firms like Outspan PNG and non-governmental organisations Oxfam and Care International. Outspan was the first buyer of the nurseries with a cheque presentation of K15,000 for 10,000 seedlings.
In terms of the coffee berry borer (CBB) pest, Ame said the government would continue to support containment efforts with funding.
“We have appropriated over K30 million to the coffee industry. With CBB we need to manage it and government will continue to support.”