More coffee being airfreighted in Papua New Guinea

Coffee farmers from Owena in the remote Obura-Wonenera district of Eastern Highlands province loading parchment coffee bags onto a Missionary Aviation Fellowship (MAF) plane to take to Aiyura

Parchment coffee bags being unloaded from an MAF plane at Aiyura airstrip, owned and operated by the Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL)

By AUGUSTINE DOMINIC of CIC

The volume of coffee being air freighted into major markets in Goroka and Kainantu from very remote areas in the Eastern Highlands and Simbu Provinces is expected to double this year with the Freight Surety Scheme (FSS) of the Coffee Industry Corporation.

Since the demise of the renowned ‘green revolution’ in 2002, which pledged much hope for improved air freighting of coffee from remote areas into major markets in towns, the re-conceived FSS concept is picking up momentum and has gained much popularity among remote farmers.

CIC’s FSS officer Paul Gilma said that the scheme was developed in 2003 after the fall of the ‘green revolution’ and  till 2009, the scheme had airfreighted over 760, 000 kg (about 15, 000 bags) of parchment coffee from various remote areas of the two provinces.

The total volume airlifted in 2009 from remote areas like Pinero, Negabo, Nomane, Karamui, and Appa in Chimbu and Maimafu, Andakombe, Simbari, Tuvau, Marawaka, and Owena in Eastern Highlands provinces was 52, 663kg and he predicted that with much awareness of the scheme, the volume would reach 90, 000 kg this year.

Gilma said there was more volume of coffee being airfreighted out from the remote areas into towns but the volumes revealed were only the figures of CIC recorded through the FSS programme.

“The overall objectives of the FSS is to provide effective and efficient coffee freight program to promote, support and develop a sustainable coffee industry in PNG which will maximise financial returns to all coffee producers and contribute to the government’s economic and social policy goals focusing on rural development and poverty alleviation”, he said.

He said more government funding would be needed to boost the provision of this much-needed service to other coffee-growing provinces in PNG because currently, the limited funding available was only being recycled in EHP and Simbu provinces.

Gilma said farmers in Morobe and Madang province were advised to approach the CIC office in their provinces to access the coffee freighting service because some money had already been deposited with North Coast Aviation and Islands Airways operating respectively in each province to serve them.

He explained that the freight scheme paid the freight cost upfront for the farmers and once the farmers sold their coffee they only repaid the freight cost and get remainder.

“Many farmers have expressed great satisfaction for the freight service provided by CIC than similar service provided by private organisations and individuals, as they gain more income,” Gilma said.