CEO of the Coffee Industry Corporation, Charles Dambui, says healthy and able growers can lead to increasing coffee yields with improved quality.
The CEO was speaking recently during the launch of a nutrition component of the Productive Partnerships in Agriculture Project (coffee component) at Goroka Phoenix Steak House.
Parties to the agreement were Department of Agriculture and Livestock, Eastern Highlands Provincial Health Authority (EHPHA) and Coffee Industry Corporation through PPAP.
The nutrition component will involve training of community-based health officers from to train rural people mostly women or mothers on nutrition on how to prepare and a balance meal for their families.
The EHPHA will undertake this important initiative in four districts namely Obura-Wanenara, Henganofi, Okapa and Daulo using the PPAP modality by engaging EHPHA under a public-private alliance or partnership arrangement to work with the communities to take ownership.
The World Bank and International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) financiers of coffee rehabilitation effort is funding this nutrition component with K500,000.
The World Bank PNG office agriculture specialist Allan Oliver also explained that malnutrition and poverty have a direct link where the latter is the main and principal cause of malnutrition.
It was revealed during the launching that about 700,000 people in the country are affected by lifestyle diseases.
The following revelations were also made at the launch:
• Nutrition is important for healthy and brighter children.
• For pregnant mothers nutrition starts from conception to growth of children.
• Children between 0-5 years must have proper balance meals.
• Lifestyle diseases affects people at old age.
• The increase in lifestyle diseases is a reflection of people spending money on wrong things and not on quality food.
• Food and nutrition are basic human rights. The health department can’t do it alone. A multi sectoral approach is necessary.
• Water, sanitation and hygiene are equally important factors in nutrition programs.
• In terms of food consumption and production, many people in PNG are concentrating too much on volumes in terms. Producing the right type of food is equally important as food security.
The women folk is the entry point to addressing nutrition issues under this program. Thereby a good representation from women groups including the Susu Mamas at the launch.
(File picture)