Whilst the drop in annual coffee production and loss in revenue was taking centre stage in the debates on the floor of Parliament last week, the Kotiufa villagers of Iufi-iufa tribe outside Goroka were busy learning how to develop their coffee nurseries.
The participants were taken through various stages of nursery development which include demonstrations on identifying coffee varieties, soil preparation, seed preparation, planting of seeds in poly bags and beds and planting of the coffee seedling in the field.
Owner of the Mitega Coffee Mill, Mr. Jack Gasowo was the lead trainer and was assisted by coffee advocate Aven Negio who also bored the cost of training.
Mr. Gasowo shared his 30 plus years of experience in coffee work ranging from crop husbandry, post harvest management to export. He told the villagers not worry about the current coffee prices but to plant more coffee.
He said through good nursery development they will have good seedlings to plant and that is the start of their journey to be good coffee growers.
The CIC representative told the participants that there are always cycles of boom and burst due tovarious factors but if Kotiufa villagers can work as a group and through better post harvest management practices, they can produce better quality coffee and fetch better prices.
Elder of Kotiufa villager, Mr. Nipie Hurutuve who had more than 20 years of coffee experience working for a leading coffee exporter said no one can deny the role and importance of coffee in the society since its introduction.
He said coffee has been the number one crop in sustaining livelihoods encourage the participants not to abandon coffee.
Mr. Solepa Aganisafa representing the Highlands Farmers and Settlers Association and Eastern Highlands Agricultural Society presented booklets on raising broiler chicken produced by Zenag Chicken and commended the leaders of Kotiufa for a lively, interactive and informative training. He said they look forward to further collaboration with the Kotiufa Villagers on their endeavours.
The training was initiated by the young leaders of Kotiufa headed by Raymond Jeff, Kusco Hurutuve and others who were concerned that youths and villagers were neglecting coffee.
Raymond reminded the villagers and participants that Kotiufa has bigger land mass and is a leading coffee producing village of the Iufi-iufa tribe. In recent the youths, men and women folk have neglected coffee and turn to other means to sustain themselves.
He said they had to wait 3 to 6 months to harvest their kaukau and vegetables after planting and go to the markets.
Mr. Raymond Jeff invited Coffee Industry Corporation and other government and non government institutions to come on board to partner with them in delivering trainings that will sustain livelihoods at the village level.
More than 100 participants from Kotiufa and Iufi-iufa turned up for the training. The next training will be held next month after the commencement of the school.
Source: Eastern Highlands Agricultural Society
