A coffee cooperative success story

By AUGUSTINE DOMINIC of CIC

Coffee marketing in a group will generate high volume of coffee and raise more revenue for smallholder farmers.

Hence, the Coffee Industry Corporation, which is tasked to regulate and promote Papua New Guinea coffee, is encouraging and promoting group marketing through cooperative societies registered with the Department of Commerce and Industry or with the Investment Promotion Authority.

An example of a success story of a cooperative society is the Rikarika Co-operative Society from the Eastern Highlands province.

 Rikarika Cooperative Society members disembark from their vehicle to gather at the roadside for a meeting

The society is based in Habaru village along the Okapa road about 1,500 metres above sea level along the boarders of Okapa, Henganofi and Lufa districts, just beneath Mt Kuru.  

Politically, they are in the Henganofi district but with their geographical location, it’s confusing to government officers from the three districts to provide basic government services to them.

As expressed by the people, “government services from either one of the three districts does not reach us, maybe due to the confusion created by our central location that one think another district is serving us”.

Nevertheless, they are privileged to live along the recently-upgraded Okapa to Goroka road and have easy access to Goroka town and the services provided there.

One thing they profess about and continue to treasure is the unique coffee grown in their area, where the climate of the lower Lufa and Henganofi plains meets the high altitudes of Mt Kuru.

 Members of Rikarika Cooperative Society purchasing coffee parchment at their roadside base in Habaru village

The Rikarika Coffee Co-operative Society won the ‘Pride of PNG 2005 Coffee Cupping Competition’ organised in Goroka by the then Coffee Pacifica Inc,  which attracted participation from various international coffee cuppers including the Speciality Coffee Association of America.

The award was a big morale booster and the society continued struggling to uphold the quality values in processing coffee.

Its commitment payed off with another achievement when the CIC board approved its application and awarded it the permit to erect a dry coffee factory early this year.

This decision by the CIC board was a first of its kind for coffee cooperative societies in PNG.

CIC’s manager for industry regulation and compliance, Sam Menaga, said the society deserved the award as it was very active in strengthening itself for many years and had gained recognition in producing quality coffee.   

During a recent visit by CIC officers and Monpi Coffee Ltd to the area, society chairman James Iswalito and his deputy Simon Fikime, expressed great satisfaction in the society’s progress so far and vowed to continue to see tangible development brought in to their area through coffee.

“We have allocated land and money for erecting the dry coffee factory and hope to get it up soon,” Iswalito said.

He also declared his group’s intention to supply Monpi Coffee with quality coffee produced by his group.

The group initially started with 25 members in 2000 and has grown to over 100 registered members, mostly smallholder coffee growers owning coffee gardens ranging from one to five hectares and totalling about 160 hectares.

Powes Parkop makes smart strategic move to middle benches

By REGINALD RENAGI

 

Papua New Guinea parliamentary speaker's announcement early this year that National Capital District Governor Powes Parkop will now be sitting in the middle-benches has upset some people who have expressed their disappointment in the media in recent weeks.

 Parkop has lately been in the media expressing his views on a more-conciliatory manner of certain government decisions in parliament.   

 Parkop recently made a public media statement that PNG today lacks honest leadership and is both concerned and serious about PNG being provided with honest leadership in future. 

 A true measure of a successful government is for it to do everything in its power and influence to provide all required basic services and creating the right environment for its citizens to meaningfully participate in our country’s development; and in so doing, the people’s overall quality of life is greatly enhanced proportionally over time. 

This has not happened despite the promises at Independence in 1975 by those entrusted to protect the interests of our people and country. The early promises have become lies today as successive PNG administrations have badly let their people and country down for over three decades. 

Today, PNG has an uncaring regime pampering to big business and special interests while making many bad decisions that seriously affects our people today, and will make life hard for future generations.  

However, I see Governor Parkop’s actions as those of a creative strategist enhanced by a recent launching of his new political party.  As an independent MP, being in the middle benches is a smart deliberate move done not at the spur-of-the-moment, but carefully planned.  It is a clever strategic move for the governor as it better leverages Parkop's position to deliver what his constituents need or expects prior to the next polls in 2012. 

The governor’s new parliamentary seating plan is a refreshing sea-change.  It can have positive benefits for our capital city as well as for the whole country.  The middle bench gives Parkop the freedom he needs to constructively engage in debating important national issues without the constraints of being in opposition or government. 

Here, Parkop has choices: to abstain; support the opposition, or vote against the government on any issues according to his own better judgement without being unduly influenced to take a ‘pre-conceived’ position. 

Moreover, the middle-bench further allows a degree of flexibility to solicit government support for the governor’s capital city vision initiatives.  As a first-time MP, Parkop realises now that politics is about compromise for positive gains.  It is about meeting the other party half way for both to achieve its own development objectives whilst reaching a mutual ‘win-win’ outcome. 

As NCD governor, this concession may be denied him if he steadfastly remained with the opposition and kept constantly criticising the government for its perceived dalliances (whether real or imagined).  So by strategically working within the system, Parkop hopes to achieve much of his plans for our city before he faces city residents again at the polls. 

I see our middle-benchers not as whingers who have lost their marbles but intelligent MPs.  Well anyone can also say this of our opposition.  In fact, it comprises of some astute and independent-thinking MPs whose views and policies do not auger in parallel with both opposition and government. This can have positive benefits for the county as MPs here has the flexibility to see both sides of an issue under debate before making a more balanced input on proposed laws. 

On the other hand, the opposition needs to be more effective if it is to be considered the best since independence.  It should credibly demonstrate that it is the ‘alternative government’ and is up to the task of providing the kind of leadership needed in future. 

As the alternative government of PNG, the opposition must get better organised.  Its first essential function is to prepare itself for the day when (it hopes) it will become the government.  Its second function is to keep the government, its policies and its activities under keen and constant critical scrutiny. 

Today, PNG needs strong leadership by having a responsible and responsive government with an assertive opposition to make parliament an effective law-making body.  The country must have good honest leaders to ensure clean politics and a sense of fair –play practiced within parliament. 

To turn things around in PNG is to have several things in place at the same time. Any good government would by now carry out essential political reforms to improve good governance, being responsible, accountable and strictly adhere to the 'Rule of Law'.

Firstly, the leadership must force itself to be more disciplined, accountable and responsible in all its actions without lying about many things as has been the norm for some time now.  It is important that PNG now needs a strong no-nonsense party leader to better reorganise the current coalition government makeup by having good honest MPs in charge of key portfolios (I.e. A revitalised NEC).

Secondly, PNG must have an effective opposition to always keep the government on its toes.  The opposition must start employing effective strategies to ensure all its shadow Ministers are well-versed in their responsibilities to keep constant scrutiny of government actions and its decision-making process. 

Thirdly, parliament has been shirking its primary responsibility by poorly serving PNG’s national interests.  A parliament that compromises PNG’s national interests does not deserve the people’s support and vote at the polls.

Finally, the way ahead is for a more-effective leadership and a new team of committed social engineers who will have PNG’s best interests at heart to completely transform the people and this country.  Without pre-empting events ahead of time, given the right conditions and strategies employed now, it is not too far-fetched to imagine my capital city governor Powes Parkop to be a potential prime minister material in future. 

All NCD residents should now on give their full support to Governor Powes Parkop and his city hall team in their tireless efforts to make PNG's capital a clean, safe and healthy environment for all. 

UNESCO encourages UOG Enga students’ awareness activities

 By KATE GUNN of UOG

 The UNESCO country office in Papua New Guinea yesterday (Wednesday) visited the Engan Students’ Association at the University of Goroka. 

Yori Yei, secretary general of UNESCO (PNG), spent time with students from Enga province currently studying at UOG. 

Yei presented to the association K5, 000 to be used for awareness activities in the Enga Province by the students whilst on their end of year break.

 Manager for culture at UNESCO Paul Peter and secretary general of UNESCO PNG  Yori Yei presenting the money to president of Enga Students' Association at UOG Wanpis Napian and chairman of Jamaica Kandes with lecturer Lynn Iarume looking on

The donation, presented by Yei on behalf of James Marape Minister for Education and chairman of UNESCO in PNG, was accepted by the Enga Students’ Association chairman Jamaica Kandes and president Wanpis Napian. 

Yei explained to the students that the money should be utilised for activities related to the education of those uneducated people in Enga.

 “It’s your responsibility as the educated elite of the province to help educate Engans on current issues,”Yei told the students.

Yei said UNESCO was happy to support little initiatives for public awareness and education. 

Napian said there were many issues that needed to be addressed in Enga province. 

He said the donation from UNESCO would be used by the students for awareness activities in the province on outcome based education (OBE) in primary schools, as many people did not know about OBE in Enga.

The PNG Commission for UNESCO is based in Port Moresby and education is one of its organisational themes along with culture, science and communication. 

Anyone wishing to donate or support the Enga Students’ Association at the University of Goroka should contact Mr Kandes on email jamaicastonez@yahoo.com or Napian on email wanpisnapist@yahoo.com or care of the University of Goroka, PO Box 1078, Goroka, Eastern Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea.

Police arrest top bankers

GARTH McIlwain, one of the most respected figures in PNG’s finance and banking industry, was arrested by police yesterday, The National reports.

In a new twist to the case filed by businessman and former politician Peter Yama, McIlwain and senior Bank South Pacific official Robin Flemming were taken to the Konedobu police fraud squad office for questioning yesterday afternoon.

They were then transferred to the Boroko police station, where they were charged and locked up in the cells for about an hour before they were released on K5, 000 bail.

Senior police officers were unaware of what was unfolding, and refused to comment when contacted.

Police media unit officers were seeking more information on the arrest before they could brief Police Commissioner Gari Baki on the arrest.

The National could not obtain details of the charges laid against the two men, but it is understood their arrest is related to a complaint of falsifying document relating to a fixed floating charge BSP had against Yama and his companies in 1999.

The prime minister’s legal counsel, Sumasi Singin, rushed to the police station to find out what was going on when he heard of their arrest.

News of the arrests, and the manner in which the two were treated, is likely to outrage the business community.

Police had previously arrested Flemming, BSP lawyer John Maddison and private lawyer Erik Anderson for conspiracy to defraud relating to this case. The case against them was dismissed in court.

Mcllwain and Flemming will appear in court any time this week.

McIlwain recently retired as chief executive officer of BSP.

He is the chairman of Credit Corporation and was at the helm of the successful merger of PNG Banking Corporation with BSP, now the leading bank in PNG and the Pacific region.

 

 

bemobile fails Solomon Islands' conditions

PAPUA New Guinea-registered mobile company, bemobile, has failed to live up to one of the first requirements under its licence in the Solomon Islands, local newspaper Solomon Star reported yesterday, The National reports.

The newspaper reported that this had cost the PNG telecommunications company US$1.5 million (K4.16 million or S$12 million).

Solomon Islands telecommunications commissioner Nicholas Williams was quoted as saying that he had taken the S$12 million from a demand guarantee of US$10 million (K27.77 million) provided by bemobile to ensure its compliance with the network coverage obligation in its licence.

Under its licence, bemobile is required to launch a network serving 25% of the population by June 18 this year.

Williams said he had given bemobile an extension until Aug 30 to become compliant with its licence.

“If bemobile fails to meet this new deadline, I will take an additional US$1 million from the demand guarantee,” he said.

“There are further coverage thresholds that bemobile is required to meet,” Williams said.

According to Solomon Star, he expects bemobile to work strenuously and diligently to meet these thresholds and catch up with the original network deployment timetable envisaged in its licence.

The SI government awarded bemobile its licence last Dec 18, ahead of the more promising Digicel.

Chief executive officer Julien Coustaury had previously assured PNG’s closest Melanesian neighbour that bemobile would launch its operations in time according to the requirements under its licence.

Honiara-based Coustaury, who is away overseas on vacation, could not be reached yesterday for comments.

 

 

bemobile fails Solomon Islands' conditions

PAPUA New Guinea-registered mobile company, bemobile, has failed to live up to one of the first requirements under its licence in the Solomon Islands, local newspaper Solomon Star reported yesterday, The National reports.

The newspaper reported that this had cost the PNG telecommunications company US$1.5 million (K4.16 million or S$12 million).

Solomon Islands telecommunications commissioner Nicholas Williams was quoted as saying that he had taken the S$12 million from a demand guarantee of US$10 million (K27.77 million) provided by bemobile to ensure its compliance with the network coverage obligation in its licence.

Under its licence, bemobile is required to launch a network serving 25% of the population by June 18 this year.

Williams said he had given bemobile an extension until Aug 30 to become compliant with its licence.

“If bemobile fails to meet this new deadline, I will take an additional US$1 million from the demand guarantee,” he said.

“There are further coverage thresholds that bemobile is required to meet,” Williams said.

According to Solomon Star, he expects bemobile to work strenuously and diligently to meet these thresholds and

catch up with the original network deployment timetable envisaged in its licence.

The SI government awarded bemobile its licence last Dec 18, ahead of the more promising Digicel.

Chief executive officer Julien Coustaury had previously assured PNG’s closest Melanesian neighbour that bemobile would launch its operations in time according to the requirements under its licence.

Honiara-based Coustaury, who is away overseas on vacation, could not be reached yesterday for comments.

 

Census delay could affect elections: Electoral Commission

PAPUA New Guinea Electoral Commission officials are worried that the delay in the 2010 housing and population census will affect the commission’s preparations for the 2012 general election, The National reports.

Commission officials said the delay would affect the electoral update, common roll and other data needed by the commission to  conduct the general election.

Electoral commissioner Andrew Trawen could not be reached for comments yesterday but his office said he would be making a media statement today to outline the full implication of the delay in the 2010 national census.

The census was originally scheduled to start on July 11 but census director Kit Ronga announced on Monday that the census had been deferred to next year.

Ronga cited various logistics problems, including funding, as contributing to the need for the deferral although much of the work had been done.

To date, less than half of K66 million released by the Department of National Planning has been  made available to the National Statistical Office.

The last national census was held in 2000.

Since then, the population has grown rapidly, but it is unclear what the actually annual growth rate is.

Some place it at 6%, which was higher than economic growth rate until the commodity boom pushed the economic growth rate up.

The director of PNG’s Institute of National Affairs, Paul Barker, told Radio New Zealand that delaying the census adds more worry that PNG would not run a free and fair election.