Farmers in Pomio view coffee as cash crop

 THE introduction of coffee as an alternative cash crop is hoped to boost economic development in Pomio district, East New Britain, local coffee farmers said.

More than 20 farmers and agriculture officers from local level governments within Pomio recently visited “CIC export office in Lae, the Coffee Research stations in Madang and Aiyura, and the coffee processing plants of Arabicas Ltd in Goroka, to familiarise themselves with the operations from farming,” processing and marketing.

Upon their return to Pomio, they were expected to formulate a coffee development plan for the district and organise partnerships with Coffee Industry Corp Ltd and other organisations to carry out the plan starting next year.

CIC chief executive officer Navi Anis said that East New Britain province was being recognised as a new growth area for coffee production and it was good that Pomio and other districts in the province were taking the initiative to venture in coffee.

He said their participation along with other new growth areas like Milne Bay, Oro and Central provinces was consistent with the Revised PNG Coffee Industry Strategic Plan 2008-2018 to boost the overall coffee production of the country, which had been stagnant in the past decade.

Arabicas Ltd marketing manager Lawrence Binape showed the visitors around his factory from the processing of green bean to roasting, grinding, and packaging.

He urged the visitors to grow coffee and seek the assistance of Arabicas Ltd to process Pomio’s own brand of coffee.