Building a good and reliable road network system will give rise to all other forms of changes in rural communities, including coffee development work, says a coffee official.
Manager of Coffee Industry Corporation’s Productive Partnerships in Agriculture Project (CIC-PPAP), Potaisa Hombunaka, urges MPs to focus on building and maintaining rural roads to improve access of rural communities to markets and services.
“Our mothers feel the pain of carrying heavy loads to climb mountains and cross rivers to sell their coffee or garden produce,” Hombunaka said.
“Just build the roads and forget about us. Roads will take care of other services.”
The last two lines received overwhelming cheers or support from the crowd.
The coffee manager was speaking during the launching and signing of an agreement between 6 MPs of Simbu and Jiwaka provinces for construction of access roads connecting Minj-Kup-Gumine and Dona-Kerowagi.
The ceremony was held at Dur Wamugl in Kerowagi District of Simbu Province on Wednesday, 17 January, 2018.
The MPs present were Bari Palma (Kerowagi), Joe Koim Kuli (Anglimp-South Waghi) and two governors – Michael Dua (Simbu) and Dr William Tongamp (Jiwaka).
Minister for Education, Nick Kuman (Gumine), and Minister for Petroleum and Energy, Fabian Pok (North Waghi), were represented by their chief executive officer or officials.
Hombunaka also called on ward councilors and their people not to demand compensation when the road is built through their customary land.
“Donor agencies like World Bank and Asian Development Bank will take the money and go elsewhere,” he stated.
“For public good, somebody has to stand up even if it means you are the only odd person in the community to tell others the right thing to do.”
The Highlands Highway runs in the middle separating these two back roads, one to connect Minj, in the Anglimp-South Waghi area of Jiwaka Province with Kup (Kerowagi) and Pildimna (Gumine) in Simbu Province. The other connection will be from Dona to Kerowagi in Simbu Province.
The rural roads have been listed for funding by Asian Development Bank under fourth tranche but work will begin soon under joint DSIP funding.
As an economic road, it is expected to open up business activities, including coffee rehabilitation work financed by World Bank and International Fund for Agricultural Development under CIC in this Central Highlands region.
The PPAP coffee component is working with three lead partners, namely Tribal Aromas, CDA Gumine and AAAK Cooperative, reviving existing coffee gardens in the area with 2000-plus farmers. The project will have invested over K5 million in Simbu by June 2019.
(Left-right: PPAP coffee component 2 coordinator Bill Humphrey [eastern zone], PPAP coffee manager Potaisa Hombunaka and Kerowagi MP Bari Palma)