Monday, April 27, 2009

Coffee managers urged to create wealth

Workshop participants and facilitators at Lae International Hotel. Coffee Industry Corporation CEO Ricky Mitio is standing fourth from the left in the front row

Senior coffee managers have been learning wealth creation in the industry at a weeklong workshop in Lae.
The workshop ran from last Monday till Friday (April 24) with senior staff and managers of Coffee Industry Corporation now well-equipped with knowledge to create an enabling environment for wealth creation by actors in the coffee value chain in the coffee industry and Papua New Guinea.
The workshop was facilitated by international consultants Dr Simba Simbanda from Zimbabwe and Dr Zenette Franco from Brazil, who are specialists in agricultural strategic planning and learning capacity building respectively, delivering the modules for learning.
The workshop was facilitated by Agricultural Research & Development Support Facility, an AusAID programme for agriculture in PNG.
This workshop was to review and improve the PNG Coffee Industry Strategic Plan 2008 – 2018.
It aims to institutionalise the planning process so that senior managers of CIC will continue to liaise with industry stakeholders and other partners to add value to the strategic plan.
The plan identifies key thematic areas that CIC should deliver on its mandate to the coffee industry.
It is critical to identify the relevant programmes and projects, competence, as well as capacity of players along the coffee value chain to achieve the desired results.
“We should think outside of the box and do things in a new paradigm,” CIC chief executive officer Ricky Mitio told participants.
“Thus, in changing the way CIC has been doing things in the past to a new paradigm, this will facilitate the creation of wealth for our farmers, who are the backbone of the coffee industry.”
Senior entomologist Nelson Simbiken said: “Let’s move away from the coffee tree and go to the farmers.
“Adoption of recommended technologies depends very much on farmers’ priorities.”
Senior CIC coffee inspector Anton Buro said there were so many “loopholes” in CIC’s programmes to deliver services to stakeholders.
“In reviewing those present programmes, we can streamline and mobilise resources to where they are needed,” he said.
“I am happy that in my programming, I will use the appropriate tools to develop a comprehensive programme in my area of work.”

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