Corporation building coffee export office

THE Coffee Industry Corporation (CIC) Ltd marked a ground breaking ceremony in Lae to build a new K10.6 million coffee export office building for the region.
This came after the old structure, which is more than 30 years old, was condemned in 2014.
Agriculture and Livestock Minister John Simon announced that the new structure would be three-stories and equipped with all the necessary features and services to ensure the CIC was able to carry out its work.
Simon said having its own facility would save costs in the long run as the regional office had been paying K15,000 a month over the last six years for office space. He said the National Government was subsidising coffee and cocoa prices where farmers could get farm gate prices for their produces anywhere in the country.
“The cocoa prices nationwide now is K3 per kg, the coffee parchment price is K6 per kilo and for coffee the cherry price is K3 per kilo,” he said.
He said Prime Minister James Marape announced recently that a price support of K10 million would be given to ensure farmers get farm gate prices for their produce.
Simon challenged people in Lae city and other urban centres to go back to their villages and districts and get involved in growing coffee and cocoa.
He was also concerned that CIC Ltd in the last four years had not reach a million bags of coffee exported to overseas markets and challenged that this be achieved by the end of the year.
“When the building is completed and in use, I wants CIC Ltd officers out in the field with farmers to carry out extension work to support farmers so they produce well,” he said.
“Then we will reach one million bags of coffee exported to overseas markets by the end of the year.”