Coffee production in Papua New Guinea

Coffee production in Papua New Guinea is the country's second largest agricultural export, after oil palm, and employs approximately 2.5 million people.

With the industry not derived on a colonial plantation-based system, production is largely by small farmers with land holdings that grow as little as 20 trees per plot in "coffee gardens" alongside subsistence crops.

[7] In the 1960s, the infrastructure developed significantly in Papua New Guinea which facilitated a marked growth in the industry, easing the transportation of coffee beans from plantations to the mills to be processed and exported.

[5] The coffee industry in Papua New Guinea thrived in the 1970s, benefiting from a slump in production in Brazil on the international market because of problems with frosts.

From 1986,[5] a number of cases of coffee rust, caused by Hemileia vastatrix, also affected some parts of Papua New Guinea which had previously been free of the disease.

[9] This is an issue of law and order that is creating loss of revenue to the producers through unchecked theft, which is attributed to the inadequate opportunities for the youth of the country to get suitable avenues for education and, more importantly, getting jobs after schooling.

[10] In recent years, coordination between the private and public sectors have increased as has a movement towards a greater sustainability, with improved soil nutrition management and retention and education of farmers in prolonging the agricultural productivity of their land.

[12] One of the main problems faced by coffee farmers in Papua New Guinea is the poor quality of basic infrastructure such as rural roads.

This often leads to coffee remaining unsold on farms, which cannot be consumed and results in consequent loss of revenue or in distress sale of produce to even maintain subsistence level of living.

Such a situation, when persists for long period, would call for subsidies to be provided by the government to small land holders so they can survive till prices improve.

[1] Quality of coffee produced in PNG has received a boost in recent times with emphasis on setting up wet factories supported by adequate checks and assurances of excellence through a testing process in well equipped laboratories.

Consequently, the tasting panel instituted through appropriate training being imparted in Lae and Australia would assure better exposure to PNG coffee in the international market.