Morobe’s top coffee producers can be found in Menyamya District. However, their main challenge is the lack of infrastructure.
Farmers are forced to carry bags of coffee and walk for days to reach the nearest road and with coffee being a perishable product, the beans rot within a few days, resulting in wasted effort and time.
Local MP, Solen Loifa, urged the provincial government to hear their plea and build roads and bridges to connect Menyamya to Lae.
“Kofi blo mipla stil sting yet lo maunten na bus stap,” said Loifa. (Our coffee is rotting on the mountain and in bushes.)
“Planti taim mipla save stragol na mipla kam autsait lo karim kofi na mipla sa kam kamap lo Lae. (Most times we struggle to bring our coffee out to Lae.)
“Wanem taim bai gavman lukluk lo mipla, tru lo provins, na stretim rot blo mipla, stretim bridj blo mipla? (When will the government, through the province, listen to us and fix our roads and bridges?)
“For 47 years – longpla taim – mipla Morobe mipla bikpla gavman na bikpla provins na mipla kamap bega ino gutpla. (For 47 years – a very long time – Morobe, which is a big government and province, has become a beggar and this is not right.)
“Olgeta taim yumi toktok lo bridj na haus sik tasol na yumi olgeta taim Tutumang yumi pairap lo displa tasol sampla taim, yumi mas kamapim ol bikpla projek blo provins blo mipla na yumi ken benefit na jenereitim bikpla mani.” (We talk about bridges and hospitals but every time at Tutumang, we talk too much when we should initiate major projects in the province that we can benefit from and generate large income.)
(Bogged down vehicles in Menyamya district)