PNG still free of coffee borer

Source: 

The National, Tuesday 18th December, 2012

PAPUA New Guinea is the only country that does not have coffee berry borer (CBB), according to a senior Coffee Industry Corporation (CIC) scientist.
CIC Research and Grower Services head Dr Mark Kenny told a high profile CBB workshop in Kainantu recently that this unique situation must be protected for the benefit of coffee growers and the industry.
PNG has now established an emergency response plan to curb the incursion of the deadly CBB.
Kenny said the CBB exists on the Indonesian side of the border and if it enters PNG, it would have adverse effect on PNG’s coffee industry.
These, he said, would include damage value in the range of K250 million to K300 million, production cost to increase by 40% and poor quality coffee would be produced resulting in a drop in reputation of PNG coffee.
Kenny said with the support of the national government and other stakeholders the, National Quarantine Inspection Authority (NAQIA) and CIC has been carrying out a joint delimiting survey in the border areas since 2008 to detect the beetle and has so far established more than 200 surveillance sites in all the 13 coffee-growing province of PNG.
“The emergency response plan (ERP) includes both pre-quarantine and emergency response which the latter spells out the management structure, emergency pathway and technical standards for delivery of the ERP,” he said.
“Awareness of border communities, enforcement of 20km buffer zone and an annual survey programme both in PNG and Indonesia form the basis of the pre-quarantine programme.”
It was noted during the workshop that funding was a major element to carry out the plan and a working committee comprising CIC and NAQIA staff would be appointed to seek options for structuring and implementing the fight against CBB.
The estimated budget for annual monitoring and surveillance was K350, 000.
The workshop hosted presentations from international CBB experts from UK-based CABI Bioscience Dr Sean Murphy, Dr Soetikno, Dr KY Lum, and Bryony Taylor; NAQIA’s senior entomologist David Tenekanai; and CIC entomologist Otto Ngere

Via The National
http://www.thenational.com.pg/?q=node/42787

CIC boss urges coffee farmers to organize

Source: 

The National, Wednesday 19th December, 2012

By AUGUSTINE DOMINIC
COFFEE farmers from the four major coffee growing provinces in the country should organise themselves into a group that will run their farms and market their produce for better income.
Coffee Industry Corporation chief executive Navi Anis made the call recently in Goroka during the report presentation on a coffee profiling project carried out by CIC in Eastern Highlands, Chimbu, Jiwaka and Western Highlands.
He said farmers must realise that to achieve higher income, they must organise themselves to produce high quality coffee and market it for better price.
Anis said farmers operating individually would not achieve consistent coffee quality and high volume, thus, the receive lower prices.
He also acknowledged the women coffee farmers who attended the report presentation.
“Women in PNG do most of the hard work in far­ming and processing coffee and I acknowledge the women farmers who are here today,” Anis said.
The coffee profiling project titled “Determination and evaluation of smallholder coffee flavour profi­ling and traceability in PNG” was aimed at training the farmer groups on best practices in coffee production.
The project was carried out with farmer groups from Tiredne (Okapa), Timuza (Kainantu), and Nagamiufa (Goroka) in Eastern Highlands; Arosubamo (Chuave), Mindima (KundiawaGembogl), Kapmawapo (Sinasina-Yongomugl), Daniel Godoga (Kerowagi) and Kobal Sipal (Gumine) in Chimbu;  Pundu Kas (Hagen Central), Paunda (Tambul-Nebilyer), Lumba and Tikil Wopkola(Mul-Baiyer) in Western Highlands;  and Nobal Tai (Banz) and Walep Kamil (Jimi) in Jiwaka.

Via The National
http://www.thenational.com.pg/?q=node/42853