Prime Minister Peter O’Neil was in Goroka on Friday where he launched a new coffee cooperate plan.
More than a thousand people came from all over the highlands to listen to Mr. O’Neil’s policy statements, especially for the agriculture sector.
The cooperate plan launched by Mr. O’Neil is expected to be the launchpad for the country as it prepares to revive the coffee industry in a big way.
Prime Minister Peter O’neill arrived on Friday Morning with his delegates at the National Park in Goroka to a traditional welcome.
He came to officiate the Launching of a new Coffee Corporate Plan.
Spearheaded by the PNG’s coffee regulatory body, the coffee industry corporationaimed at reviving the coffee industry in Papua New Guinea.
The event had attracted people from as far as Western Highlands, Simbu, Eastern Highlands, Madang and the Morobe Provinces.
Most of them are small scale coffee farmers.
Unlike other provinces, Goroka remains the Coffee Capital of Papua New Guinea and played host to the significant event.
During the gathering, Mr. O’neill told the people that his government is eager to revive this renewable sector, but for changes to happen it will take time.
The event also marks the issuing of coffee export licences to coffee corporatives for the first time.
This gives coffee farmers more opportunity to produce and export coffee to overseas markets.
In recent years, much of the National Government’s focus has been given to the non-renewable sector, such as the LNG Project in the Southern Highlands Province.
And over those years, small scale farmers say, the National Government have become so complacent and have failed to provide enabling environment to allow these renewable sector to grow.
Small scale coffee growers’ confidence in maintaining the coffee industry has dipped over those years and Mr O’neill’s visit to Goroka and the launching of the new coffee plan is expected to regain those lost confidence.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=VPn_c6tL2p8%3Ffeature%3Doembed%26wmode%3Dopaque%26showinfo%3D0%26showsearch%3D0%26rel%3D0
