The Coffee Industry Corporation (CIC) has started a consultation process for a new Industry Strategic Plan for the next 10 years.

The first visioning workshop was held at the Steak House in Goroka on August 2-3, 2018 for this purpose.

Chief executive officer Charles Dambui said the industry regulating agency is employing a consultative process to ensure the final documentation is representative of all parties including growers the main stakeholders in the value chain.

“We want to be realistic in our planning to focus on what we as an industry regulating agency can implement to take the industry forward in the next decade.”

“There are many issues impacting on the industry like deteriorating road and market access infrastructures which require a partnership approach among commodity boards and sector organizations.”

“CIC acknowledges the changing farming practices in our integrated approaches where today’s coffee farmers are also fresh produce and livestock farmers.”

“We therefore anticipate this plan to become holistic in its approach where all stakeholders and sector organizations including DAL and other National Departments can partner in this strategic plan as a way forward for the industry,” said Mr Dambui.

Coordinating this process is CIC’s socio economist Dr Reuben Sengere who was very impress with the first turnout by industry stakeholders and senior managers of CIC.

“This is the first workshop to establish the vision, mission and core values of the new 2019-2028 Coffee Industry Strategic Plan.”

“Other stakeholder consultations will be held in Mt Hagen, Lae and Port Moresby.”

“Thereafter, an institutional Gap Analysis Workshop will be conducted,” said Dr Sengere.

General Manager Industry Operations Steven Tumae opened the first session with an overview of the coffee industry which includes coffee production and export figures for the last 10 years.

Interestingly export figures for certified coffee has improved to close to 800 tonnes in 2017 representing 40 percent of total exports of around 6,000 tonnes or 99,000 bags. The foreign exchange earnings from these exports to specialty markets was just over K40 million for the year.

“The indication here is more farmers are tapping into this market to fetch a little higher than the conventional market prices,” said Mr Tumae.

Project manager of CIC’s Productive Partnerships in Agriculture Project Potaisa Hombunaka in his brief presentation called for a practical and simple plan with focus on smallholder farmers.

“The growers’ number one interest is how much extra income they will get from their coffee. Farmers interest must be practically addressed for them to be motivated to produce more quality coffee hence export thus bringing on shore more Forex,” he said.

The first two-day session attracted some notables in the industry like CIC chairman Patrick Komba, former DAL secretaries Mathew Kanua and Anton Benjamin, Chairman of CIC’s Productive Partnerships in Agriculture Project Ian Mopafi, Jerry Kapka of Kongo Coffee, John Yogiyo of Bauka Coffee and Nichol Colbran of Colbran Coffeelands.

The strategic plan will be put together by Dr Eric Omuru a socio economist who has almost 20 years experiences in the agriculture sector. He has assisted the Cocoa Board and currently the KIK or Kokonas Indastri Koporesen developing their strategic plan for their respective industries.