Gulf province will now progress to increase coffee production in the districts following a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) that was signed between the Gulf Provincial Government and the Coffee Industry Corporation Limited (CICL) in Port Moresby on Friday, 21st of July, 2023.
The signing will now allow for support to come from both parties in terms of financial and human resource capacity to carry out the work of coffee in Gulf for a period of five-years, from 2023 to 2027.
Present to witness the signing were Coffee Minister Joe Kuli, Kerema MP Thomas Opa, Gulf Governor Chris Haiveta, CICL CEO Charles Dambui and the Gulf Administration, coffee ministry and the CICL at Parliament House.
Gulf Governor Chris Haiveta said his administration is ready and committed to work closely with CICL to implement activities that will boost coffee production in the province.
“Coffee is very important and the only cash crop to a third of our population who reside in the hinterlands” Haiveta said.
Governor Haiveta added that deteriorating infrastructure and the rugged terrains made it difficult to bring raw coffee beans to a production factory but with Connect PNG program under the Marape/Rosso government plus the freight subsidy scheme under this partnership, they want to make sure the statistics are properly captured and the province is recognized for its production capacity.
“This signing will open up ways to bring coffee beans from rural areas and at the same time to provide training for farmers and rehabilitation to the coffee trees as well as replanting exercise to increase from current 3 million coffee trees to 5 million trees in the duration of the agreement,” Governor Haiveta said.
Adding to that, CICL CEO Charles Dambui said the purpose of the MoA is to drive coffee production in Gulf as there is huge potential in the area. He said coffee production in the area had dropped due to lack of transport.
“We want to bring the market closer to the farmers. We have history of farmers walking with coffee bags to Aseki to sell. Due to less economical activities, third level airlines find it hard to service the airstrips in Kaintiba, Kanabia and Komako. We will start with those airstrips to freight coffee out. We have over 1 million coffee trees around Kotidanga and 2 million around the Kaintiba area. Farmers have been struggling to bring their coffee to the market. The challenge is there for us and the provincial governments to establish a solid market for the farmers,” Dambui said.
In supporting the initiative, the Coffee Minister Joe Kuli strongly urged provincial and district governments to put the necessary support for coffee farmers to address their struggles.
“Coffee is an important cash crop that brings foreign currency into the country and above all assisting our farmers. At CICL and my department, we will support with an initial funding of K200, 000.00 to move coffee out from Kaintiba and Kotidanga.
Gulf Province has two districts and ten LLGs, of which Kaintiba and Kotidanga LLGs contribute to coffee production in the province.
