PNG coffee promoted in New Zealand

By AUGUSTINE DOMINIC
PAPUA New Guinea coffee has received much-needed promotion in New Zealand through the joint efforts of the Coffee Industry Corporation (CIC) Ltd and Fairtrade Australia and New Zealand (FTANZ), The National reports.

Neknasi Village in Nawae district, Morobe province, developed its coffee production and marketing with FTANZ.

CIC’s mobile coffee extension officer Michael Toliman, who was invited by Fairtrade CEO Steven Knapp to New Zealand last month, promoted PNG coffee and also had the opportunity to co-launch Auckland as the Fairtrade City of New Zealand with Auckland mayor Len Brown
Toliman highlighted the positive developments in the livelihood of rural PNG coffee farmers, who were selling their coffee under the Fairtrade banner.
He highlighted Neknasi Coffee Growers Cooperative, from Nawaeb district in Morobe province, whose members were beneficiaries of coffee marketing arrangements with Fairtrade.
More than 400 group members have opened individual bank accounts in Lae and are building permanent houses, purchased three trucks for the group, purchased a generator for lighting the village and were developing a water project.
Toliman toured various cities of New Zealand and informed the people that money spent on buying PNG coffee under the Fairtrade arrangement was creating tangible benefits in the lives of rural PNG coffee farmers.
He was invited to attend the Fairtrade Fortnight, an annual event that was launched in Europe in 1997 to encourage and promote products of third world producers to have a fairer market to sell their products and develop their economic capabilities.