Farmers look for man who duped them

 By JAYNE SAFIHAO

COFFEE farmers in the remote Saidor local level government in the Raicoast district are looking for a man who took money from them to buy a vehicle.

Local Alois Gulan said the man, who was known to them, promised to sell 395 bags of coffee beans for them and buy a vehicle to transport their farm produce to town.

“The people are gullible. They are from remote villagers who do not know if a person had good or bad intentions,” he said.

“They are hardworking people who thought that this man was their hope for assistance.”

Gulan said they had trusted the them because they knew him .

“They have made a total loss. There is no sign of the person at all since last year,” he said.

A similar incident occurred five years ago when a man from Chimbu did the same thing. 

He went to Tauta and Ranara villages and issued coffee export certificates. They gave him 50 bags of coffee beans. 

They have not seen him since.

Gulan has been trying to open up a proper marketing base for his people since then. He hopes that the Madang provincial government will assist him.

“We have a lot more coffee in Raicoast, just like in the highlands. The provincial government should open up an access route for people carrying their load to the coast,” he said.

The mountainous Ranara/Tauta area and bad road conditions are hampering the sale of coffee, cocoa beans and other cash crops.

He also called on MP James Gau to speed up road maintenance in the area.