Coffee Industry News
Coffee Farmers Get Trained (08/09/08)
Two hundred farmers graduated after receiving training on coffee husbandry, and financial management & bookkeeping under a joint venture project by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), Australia’s Curtin University of Technology and the Coffee Industry Corporation.
The ACIAR Marketing project (ASEM/042/2004), involved pilot groups from Eastern Highlands, Simbu and Western Highlands provinces: Emasa and Muturu Coffee Group from Eastern Highlands, Mindima Coffee Group from Simbu and Ruts Kopi, Segiri and Talu Coffee groups from the Western Highlands province.
The project began in 2004. Following a Participatory Rural Appraisal Program (PRAP) conducted by CIC, farmers’ needs and problems in coffee farming were identified. The training packages included the Personal Viability Training to put the mindset of the farmers in seeing coffee farming as a business and not just a seasonal activity. The packages involved training in rehabilitation & agronomy practises, coffee quality & marketing information, accessing donor agency & credit facilities and basic book keeping and financial management.
Project team leader, Dr. Peter Batt from ACIAR, said the graduation
of 
the grower groups was the start of collaboration and cooperation
between
groups. He explained that each graduand was a smallholder
farmer in their own right but individual marketing of coffee would
bring them nowhere thus the need for group marketing existed.
Dr. Batt said, “I hope this project will break the barriers between
exporters and smallholder farmers to work together.” Smallholder
farmers need exporters, for this reason, the farmers must organise
themselves and work with exporters. “Both the exporter and the
farmer need to know how each other operates so the industry can go forward,” stressed Dr. Batt. Despite the success of the project, the
challenge to link the farmer groups to the exporters remains.
CIC Manager for Farmer Training & Extension, Fabian Api, urged all the graduating coffee groups to keep being organised. CIC aims for farmers to gain better value for their coffee. Mr Api highlighted to the farmers that this present economy was cash-driven, a money economy, and that farmers must manage well the income they get from their coffee.
“The training you have received must first be implemented in your own gardens before you move out to help other farmers. The investment you make in your coffee gardens will pay off”, encouraged Mr Api.
CIC Economist, Charles Dambui, also encouraged the farmers saying that the coffee market in PNG is very competitive and that growers must take advantage of this and increase production and improve quality.
Group leader of Muturu Group in EHP, Nicholas Ello, expressed gratitude to the project partners for recognising his group to be a pilot of this project. Group leaders of the other pilot groups also expressed appreciation and pledged to make use of the training to enhance the industry as well as improve their living standards. Sam Kaima, group leader of the Ruts Kopi in WHP urged farmers to work closely with CIC for more “eye-opening” knowledge and skills on coffee and its market.
Rekindling Coffee In Buka | Coffee Curriculum Inservice | Coffee In New Ireland | Farmers Graduate | Curriculum Launch | Farmers Trained | Strategic Plan Launch
