EHP firm buys coffee

The National Business

EASTERN Highlands government-owned Rumbia Coffee Exports Ltd (RCEL) bought 48 bags of coffee weighing a total of 8,469kg from Marawaka in the of Obura-Wonenara district last week.
RCEL management spent K38,110.50 to buy the bags of coffee at K4 per kilogramme.
Coffee farmers in the area are usually paid K2.90 per kilo with buyers factoring in airfreight costs.
Eastern Highlands Governor Peter Numu visited Marawaka with RCEL management and assured farmers that they would continue to get K4 per kilo for their coffee until next year when it would be increased to K5 per kilo.
Numu said the Eastern Highlands government had given K142,000 in a freight subsidy to Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) to help remote coffee farmers to air freight their coffee to Goroka.
He said the subsidy had removed the added cost on farmers in places like Marawaka so they could benefit from a good price for their coffee.
Numu said the provincial government had subsidised airfreight costs for MAF to airlift coffee to Goroka three times a week.
“The empty flights or half loaded flights to and from, people from Marawaka can travel free to Goroka or Marawaka but give priority to referral patients, teachers, church, and health workers in Marawaka,” he said.
“The arrangement is done with a small airline and a helicopter company, and will continue on to next year.”
He also pledged K200,000 to support Marawaka High School.

7 comments

  • Heartily acknowledge your initiative taken towards the coffee farmers of Marawaka , I think the voice of Marawaka struggler has come true to your expectation. Your effort there is highly appreciated and you will reap what you serve out their.

  • As a nationalist from Marawaka my utmost appreciation and wholehearted gratitude to Hon.Peter Numu who is the Chairman to EHPEC. Appreciation to the team of Rumbia Coffee executives for you consideration to relief small holder organic coffee farmers.

    Buying coffee at door step at a very good price of K4 per kg is something no one coffee buyer can do at this time of economic downturn. Transporting coffee by plane is so costly at this time. A great initiative by the EHPG to have its coffee company to assist farmers and transporting at subsidised freight charge is what has been lacking in history.

    This initiative must be sustainable despite political circumstances and change of leadership in the province and Rumbia Coffee management.

  • True leader, connect road from Obura to marawaka for the hard working farmers out there..

  • A step in the right direction by Governor Peter Numu and his Marawaka people I guess should be so happy and appreciate the Governors initiative

  • CIC seems to be the bottle neck responsible for price transfer to the farmers. That needs to be reviewed to ensure world coffee prices are realised at the local farmers level.

    CIC should ONLY be responsible for Quality Control aspect and let global market factors determined coffee prices reach the farmers.

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