The Papua New Guinean prime minister has announced an inaugural minister for coffee. PM James Marape announced the appointment of Joe Kuli, from Anglimp-South Waghi.
“The post believed to be a world first shows the government’s commitment to expanding key agriculture industries. The appointments specifically spotlight agriculture in a very significant way, to see agriculture growth in the country. Agriculture is where the government can have the greatest impact in terms of the population of this country, because the bulk of our people are subsistence farmers. We have land and we must encourage our people to go into agriculture production,” said Mr. James Marape.
The coffee and palm oil ministries sit alongside the main agriculture ministry, run by Goroka MP Aiye Tambua. The minister for coffee is a new MP, Joe Kuli, from Anglimp-South Waghi, in the central highlands region.
Agricultural commodity
Coffee is the country’s second-largest agricultural commodity after palm oil, accounting for 27% of all agriculture exports and 6% of the country’s GDP. PNG coffee has emerged as a desirable import in recent years, with cafes across Australia, the US and Japan serving coffee made with beans grown in PNG.
Coffee production in the country is dominated by village-based small-scale farmers, who produce close to 85% of the country’s annual crop. It is a source of income for close to two million people – around one quarter of the population – according to the department of agriculture and livestock.
Marape said the coffee industry needed to be revived to bring in more export revenue. Kuli understood the challenge, he said, because he comes from the Wahgi Valley of Jiwaka, which was once a huge coffee plantation, but has been overgrown by bush.
“Minister Kuli’s focus will be coffee, coffee, and coffee. I want to drink coffee made in Goroka, Mt Hagen, Lae and other parts of the country. I want to see more coffee grown for export to the lucrative markets of the world.”
