Exporter: Bad roads, logistics affecting supply

LOCAL coffee exporters face a lot of challenges when exporting Papua New Guinean coffee to the world markets, a coffee exporter says.
Owner and co-founder of Gabriel Coffee Ltd Gabriel Igaso highlighted some of his challenges to the National Coffee Symposium in Port Moresby yesterday as a coffee exporter in the Highlands.
“The challenge of higher demand and lower supply remains unsolved,” Igaso said.
“Markets demand more but we have less to supply them.
“The problem is caused by poor road condition and logistic challenges, impact of the world coffee price fluctuations and many others.
“I strongly recommend the review of Coffee Development Agency (CDA) Act to assist local coffee farmers.”
Agruie Kulumga, a coffee farmer from Konglamp village in Western Highlands, said the cost of producing coffee was very high because of transportation and fertiliser costs.
Kulumga said the process involved a lot of hard work but the rewards were a tiny fraction of the hours they put in.
“This is so sad when we say we have best coffee in the world but authorities do not go down to the level of local farmers and see for themselves what really is,” he said.
“We don’t ask the government to give us money but only thing we ask is for the subsidising of cost.”
Coffee farmer Michael Konari from Lufa, Eastern Highlands said to solve these issues, growers should be supported to produce quality coffee.
He said partnership was important to subsidise costs so the income can match the farmers’ hard work.