The Coffee Freight Surety Scheme (FSS) Program of the Coffee Industry Corporation (CIC) has been commended on its objectives to serve farmers in very remote areas of PNG.
Deputy Chief of Staff from the Prime Minister’s office, Dr Alphonse Hayabe said this when paying a courtesy visit to the CIC headquarters in Goroka last Wednesday.
Dr. Hayabe said he was pleased to learn from this visit that impact projects such as FSS was touching the lives of our people living in the most remote parts of the country.
CIC Chief Operations Officer Steven Tumae said the program is a flagship program of CIC, and has been in operation for almost 25 years, and remains a people-level impact project to date.
He further highlighted that in 2023, a total volume of 2,768 tons of parchment were freighted in from remote areas, which generated K13,838,970 that went straight to the farmers pockets. “The volume freighted is equivalent to 2, 216 tons of green bean (GB) or 36,991 GB bags. The freighted coffee contributed only 5% of the total exports, but there is a huge potential to increase the volume of quality coffee freighted in from the remote locations,” he said.
Tumae added that an estimated average of 2,928,000 kg (2,928 tons) of parchment coffees are yet to be air freighted from the operational 67 airstrips. He said most of these coffees have not been freighted.
“Almost all airstrips are poorly maintained and planes often do difficult landing. Out of the 67 coffee growing airstrips, only 28 airstrips are operational while 39 are closed for operation,” Tumae said.
He acknowledged the existing third level airlines and shipping agencies who have been assisting over the years to move coffees out from these very remote areas.
APPROVED FOR RELEASE:
Steven Tumae
Chief Operations Officer