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NIP serious about coffee
By
ALPHONSE BARIASI
New Ireland province under the Chan government has launched into serious discussion with the Coffee Industry Corporation to develop a greater interest for coffee planting. This week a visiting delegation from the CIC led by chief executive officer Ricky Mitio held discussions with the Governor Sir Julius Chan ahead of a conference with stakeholders in the province's coffee industry. Sir Julius told the coffee chief who he had appointed in 1978 when he was the Minister for Primary Industry that his government was serious about coffee to the extent that he has adopted policy initiatives through the agriculture development grant scheme to promote coffee throughout the province as an alternative crop. The CIC responded to the governor's request last year during a visit by general manager Potaisa Hombunaka and in March the corporation opened an office in Kavieng. Under the agriculture development grant scheme, commonly referred to as "sweat equity", farmers who have planted one hectare of new seedlings of either cocoa, coconuts or coffee are rewarded with cash grants of K2,500. Mr Mitio said arabica coffee has sustained the market for PNG while robusta coffee suffered a decline in production when vanilla came on stream. He also commended Sir Julius for his vision to develop coffee in New Ireland. New Ireland is essentially a copra, cocoa and oil palm producing province and coffee had no impact although it was first researched in New Ireland in 1911 by a German scientist who discovered the Lelet Plateau ideal for coffee. Small plantings were trialed to suit European interests. |
NEWS
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