Factory to buy at world price

By JAMES GUMUNO
A COFFEE factory in Jiwaka is allowing farmers to process dry coffee and be paid according to world market price.
In an interview with The National, Ulka coffee plantation and factory owner William Roimp said he would also be helping farmers to sell green beans and get good prices.
Roimp, who was Mt Olga Coffee Development Association chairman, saw his factory launched by Agriculture and Livestock secretary Daniel Kombuk last week.
He said farmers had been neglecting their coffee gardens for years because of poor prices.
“Licenced coffee exporters paid farmers less and they made three or four times more from the hard work of the farmers,” he said.
“What we will do now is, my 1,500 registered members will bring their parchment coffee bags to the association, the association will process it to green beans and pay them at the world market price.”
Roimp, who owns 112 coffee plantation hectares and also buys cherries from farmers, said this would be the first time the farmers in the province would be getting the real price for their coffee.
“Right now, the cherry buyers are buying a full bucket of coffee cherries weighing about 15kg between K12 and K15. But when we process this into green beans and export it, the farmers will get between K40 and K50 from one bucket,” he added.
He said farmers from seven council wards – Kiliga 1, Kiliga 2, Kuki Kupan, llyia, Panga, Wurup and Kaip 1 in Anglimp who are members of the association would benefit.
Roimp said that many other farmers had shown their interest to join the association and they would also benefit.
He said association members recently received coffee pulpers, saws and pesticides from the Coffee Industry Corporation under its Productive Partners in Agriculture Project (PPAP) jointly funded by World Bank, International Fund for Agriculture Development and the National Government.
“Starting next year, we want to increase exports of green beans.”