SH and Hela should be included in CIC’s list

 IT is welcoming news for coffee producers of PNG that the Coffee Industry Corporation’s new plan to revitalise  the dying industry has been launched by Prime Minister Peter O’Neill.

Thanks to the acting CEO and your team for all your efforts into  resurrecting the dead Industry. 

While the CIC is heading in the right direction, it has seen fit to omit Southern Highland and Hela from    its  production map as two of the coffee growing provinces of PNG.  

I am a Southern Highlander and a former employee of CIC as regional manager.

Highlands felt obliged to  express these sentiments after realising that SH and Hela were not on the coffee-growing provinces’ list as reported.

The current statistics presented in the paper remains 10 years back or otherwise, production statistics for SH and Hela 10 years back reveals that SH and  Hela   contributes 1%  of PNG’s annual coffee production, 25,000 (household) smallholders and  20  block  holders  ranging from 20 to 50 ha. 

Major coffee growing districts of the provinces are Pangia-Ialibu with 5,000  small holders  and six block holders, followed by Kagua-Erave, Nipa-Kutubu, Komo-Margarima, Koroba-Kopiago, Mendi, Tari-Pori and  Imbonggu,  except  the Ialibu Basin, Upper Mendi and Margarima, 2000 metres  above  sea  level. 

Andrew Kaupi

Port Moresby