Almost five hundred coffee farmers from Wario in the Finschhafen District of Morobe Province face difficulties transporting their coffee bags to Lae to sell because of the poor road condition.
According to a local from the District, Gegere Hedziga, the farmers spend about K260 for transport to Lae from Wario.
“Our Farmers live further in from the road system with poor road conditions, so they carry their coffee bags to the nearest station,” says Hedziga.
He said there is only one vehicle that the farmers use to transport fifteen bags at a time.
The farmers are charged between K30 to K40 per bag.
“After paying for this and then the shipment fee, the farmers receive less,” adds Hedziga.
They earn K250 from a bag of coffee after the sale.
Farmers travel back to Finschaffen with no food supplies for their families.
Hedziga said the farmers are still struggling because of the bad road condition and lack of transportation.
