Hope returns for coffee farmers

Weekender

By CORA MOABI

OUR day starts off with freshly boiled water and taro cooked over an open fire.
We hear nearby laughter and chattering among villagers as they prepare to welcome leaders from Port Moresby to their village.
We are in Tapini, an old government station in Goilala district of inland Central.
The little station is nestled in a valley of evergreen vegetation with beautiful morning mists curtaining the rugged mountains.
Government officers from Port Moresby, Goroka and nearby areas had travelled in a day earlier in preparation for a significant occasion.
It is Monday, July 30, 2018 as we wait with villagers in anticipation for the chartered flight to arrive in Tapini with government leaders.
Everyone near and far has gathered to witness the opening of the Goilala district office complex, presentation of K1 million to Tapini Sacred Heart Secondary School and the signing of the Coffee Industry Corporation (CIC) memorandum of agreement (MoA).
Present at the occasion were Prime Minister Peter O’Neill, Education Minister Nick Kuman, Provincial Affairs Minister Kevin Isifu, Housing Minister John Kaupa, Central Governor Robert Agarobe, Member for Kairuku-Hiri Peter Isoaimo and Minister assisting the Prime Minister on Bougainville Affairs and Sports and Goilala MP William Samb.
Accompanying the government leaders was a team led by CIC chief executive officer Charles Dambui to officially sign the coffee MoA with the district.
Local MP Samb spoke of how government services were neglected in the district and his plans to alleviate some of these shortfalls by addressing key policy drivers.
Samb said since taking office in 2015, the Goilala District Development Authority (GDDA) has prioritised its key policy drivers and they were infrastructure and economic initiatives which included embarking on farming.
“Under the economic sector, we are embarking on English potato, bulb onion and coffee projects upon advice from Fresh Produce Development Agency and CIC.”
He said they wanted to educate farmers on cash flow management and farming techniques, improve logistics and introduce freight subsidy programmes.
“We want to mobilise people to address issues on a community level and not individual needs.”
He said the MOA signing confirmed that partnership.
“Without a proper managed transport system, we cannot address other government priorities,” Samb said.
Coffee has grown wild in the district due to logistical challenges and loss of interest by farmers.
“We want to invest in rehabilitation and extension of this key cash crop,” said Samb.
“Likewise in the infrastructure sector, we are rolling out ongoing communication initiatives, road projects and housing from the capital investment programme through the Department of National Planning and Monitoring.”
CIC chief executive officer Charles Dambui said the partnership would pave the way for coffee work to commence as soon as possible in the district.
“Remote areas such as Tapini can be assured to benefit through CIC’s freight subsidy scheme and other extension packages under the new agreement.
“This partnership will focus on sustaining maximum production potential via the application of current agronomy practices by way of training, application of technical innovations and processing and market access for farmers in the area.”
The MOA was signed in the presence of government dignitaries, Goilala chiefs and the people in Tapini station. Samb announced that he planned to see that infrastructure projects and economic activities were well supported to better assist people in the district.
“For coffee, we have taken this approach with CIC to rehabilitate and extend coffee work in the district.”
Coffee farmer Gabriel Teomai from Jania village in the Tapini LLG, expressed concerns about transporting coffee to the markets in Port Moresby.
“It is very challenging because a simple farmer like me has to pay K50 per bag to be transported to Port Moresby. On top of that, I have to pay K100 to get on the PMV and it takes six to nine hours to travel to the city.
“We cannot afford the costs. It is too much for us. We are happy that today CIC signed this agreement and we can get more guidance on how to continue with coffee production and going to the markets to get good prices for our hard work in the village.”
DAL-Goilala based extension officer, Michael Raviai, said he faced overwhelming challenges working in the district.
“I am constantly challenged by farmers whenever I go to do extension work; they ask me to write to the leaders to fix the roads and look for markets for their produce.”
He said there has not been any support to date and hoped that through the partnership with CIC, farmers will begin to see some improvement.
Goilala district used to be the top coffee producer in the Southern Region up until the decline of government services in the area in recent years. It has three LLGs; Tapini, which is accessible by both air and land transport and Guari and Woitape which are only accessible by air.
At one time the district was producing up to 900 tonnes of parchment coffee annually but the decline in government services and the remoteness of the area undermined the interest of coffee farmers.
Samb is adamant that investing and developing the renewable sector would give the country’s economy a boost.

  • The author is the media liaisons officer with the PNG Coffee Industry Corporation.