Extension services not to be blamed for coffee’s downturn

THE lack of extension services is not the main factor behind the drop in coffee production in the country, Coffee Industry Corporation Limited (CIC) says.
Acting chief executive officer Charles Dambui said agricultural extension work was an important, challenging social innovation and an important force in agricultural change, which has been created and recreated, adapted and developed over time.
A recent report by the National Research Institute (NRI) stated that inadequate extension services was a reason for poor coffee production in the country.
It stated that inadequate facilities for processing coffee was another factor.
Responding to queries from The National, Dambui said that lack of extension services was one of the factors but not the main factor.
“Farmers respond to price,” he said. “When coffee prices are up, farmers attend to their coffee gardens because they know they will get a much higher prices.
“When prices are down, farmers look at other means to earn an to meet their family and social obligations.”
Dambui said the current ratio of one extension officer to 86,000 growers (1:86,000) demanded for more staff to be recruited and placed at the district level.
“This will enable the effective implementation of coffee activities in the respective provinces,” he said.
Dambui said the extension officers sought to broaden, expand and improve the abilities of the coffee farmers to adopt new practices and to adjust to changing conditions and societal needs and build resilience.
“We are operating within our means with limited resources in delivering extension services.”
“Currently, there are two officers in each of the 15 coffee growing provinces, therefore our presence is not seen.
“However, respective provincial extension officers continue to assist genuine farmers, as the approach is demand-driven extension.”
Dambui said the way forward was to partner like-minded organisations to encourage farmers to produce high quality coffee so that they could have the bargaining power to negotiate prices.
He said with the establishment of the quality laboratory in Goroka funded by productive partnership in agriculture project, a World Bank funded project that has ended, smallholder farmers would now have the bargaining power to negotiate better prices for their coffee.