coffee

Coffee Craftsmanship Thrives in Banz

With the support of Australia and New Zealand through PHAMA Plus, in collaboration with the Coffee Industry Corporation Limited, the initiative aims to cultivate a culture

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Kosem Ltd gets loan under Revolving Fund Facility

Kosem Ltd, a family-owned local coffee exporter from Jiwaka, is the first recipient of an Australian Government-supported concessional loan received under the ‘Revolving Fund Facility’.

The ‘Revolving Fund Facility’ os managed and operated by Women’s Microbank Limited (Mama Bank).

In December 2023, Kosem Ltd became the first beneficiary of this facility. Kosem now has adequate funds to buy green coffee beans, benefitting more than 2000 coffee farmers in Morobe’s Wau-Waria District.

Empowering rural women

Her company operates as a social enterprise, with a focus on a "profit for a purpose" ethos.

Collaborating with over 900 farmers from 11 villages in Jiwaka and the Western Highlands, Emma's approach is holistic, seeking to improve the livelihoods of her people.

Jiwaka Coffee Limited plays a crucial role in the economic landscape, supplying Papua New Guinea's specialty coffee to exclusive global markets. Emma's commitment goes beyond mere business success; she reinvests in the communities where the coffee is sourced.

Young coffee buyer helps farmers

28-year-old Jonathan Dian has been in this business since 2015.

“There is no proper road or access to move coffee out so small-scale buyers in the village, like me, we help by buying their coffee and at the same time, pay men to carry the coffee bags to wherever the pickup point is,” said Jonathan.

On average, Jonathan hires three carriers for K20 each to move his coffee bags from Indagen to Konge, which is a three-hour walk.

Gulf Govt and CIC sign coffee deal

The agreement will cover a five-year partnership (2023-2027) valued on kina to kina basis. This will progress and increase coffee production in the district.

The deal was signed by Coffee Minister Joe Kuli, Kerema MP Thomas Opa, Gulf Governor Sir Chris Haiveta, and CICL chief executive officer, Charles Dambui, and witnessed by the Gulf Administration, coffee ministry and the CICL at Parliament House.

The signing now allows for support to come from both parties in terms of financial and human resource capacity to carry out coffee work in Gulf. 

Pomio to set up coffee factory

Pomio coffee farmers produce the largest amount of coffee, but are currently selling their produce to the mainland after the factory at Kabakaul in Kokopo shut down following the death of its manager a few years back.

Realising the need to bring the market closer to the people, the Pomio District Development Authority, through its board, decided to set up a coffee factory in the district’s headquarters at Palmalmal.

Cocoa, coconut productions increase

President of the Highlands Farmers and Settlers Association (HFSA), Wilson Thompson commended the Cocoa Board and Agmark NGIP, Eliven Cocoa and Middleton and Sons and smallholder farmer members that continues to drive the industry.

The Cocoa industry export figures for 2022 is 40,024 metric tonnes of export bringing in total of K313,603,141 million foreign currency.

This is increase from 2021 at 36,540 metric tonnes valued at K308,137,759 which is on the steady increase from 2021 at 32,905 metric tonnes (K274,863,434 million).

Anan coffee eyes downstream processing

‘Kalibobo Delight’ has been shipped to the South Korean market with another prospect in place to export to Dubai as well.

Anan Coffee Cooperative Society is from the Kovon Local Level Government in the Middle Ramu District of Madang Province. It was established in 2014 with capital gained from 86 registered members. To date the group has grown its membership to 1754. It consists of four ‘mama’ groups and 127 SME groups.

Address challenges coffee growers face

The challenges must be addressed to move the country’s coffee industry forward into the future.

The National Research Institute (NRI) Spotlight Volume 16, Issue 9: “Prospects of coffee production and initiatives for addressing challenges faced by coffee growers in Papua New Guinea” by Associate Professor Eugene Ezebilo, the Deputy Director for Research at the PNG NRI highlights the opportunity for coffee production in PNG, challenges that coffee growers in Eastern Highlands, Western Highlands and Morobe Provinces face and some potential ways to address the challenges.

Combating coffee berry borer

CBBs are spreading rapidly across coffee growing provinces, destroying coffee cherries and threatening the coffee industry. These 1.5mm black insects bore into the coffee cherry and destroy the valuable coffee bean inside. As a result, exporters are reporting lower quality and quantity of crops. CBB infestation rates in the Jiwaka, Western Highlands and Eastern Highlands Provinces are very high, causing a drastic drop in incomes for smallholder coffee farmers.