Agriculture managers, planners and policy makers are urged to take note of the findings from a research report on Papua New Guinea’s coffee industry released by the PNG National Research Institute (PNG NRI) today.
The report, “Strategic initiatives to boost the competitiveness of coffee production in Papua New Guinea”, by PNG NRI’s Deputy Director for Research Prof. Eugene Ezebilo provides insight into potential strategies for improving coffee production in PNG.
Coffee is one of the most important agricultural commodities for the government and farmers.
“Though PNG has suitable environmental and climatic conditions for growing high-quality coffee, there are challenges that need to be addressed,” Prof. Ezebilo states.
“The findings from this article will assist agriculture managers, planners and policy makers in making informed decisions on how to improve coffee production in an effective and efficient manner.”
These challenges include inadequate facilities for processing coffee, inadequate extension services and restricted access to finance.
According to the report, coffee production in PNG can be improved by promoting effective extension services for all coffee growers and replacing coffee trees that have passed economic productive age.
Other ways to improve production are: provide loans at low interest rates to farmers who want to expand production and promote modern production and processing techniques.