Concern over low coffee prices

By MAX KILIWA
MENYAMYA’s coffee farmers are struggling to make a profit for their produce after an 80 toea drop in price per kilogramme from K2.80 to K2 over the last few months.
Local coffee buyer and farmer Nelson Wiye said coffee was the main cash crop in the district and the price slump had affected many farmers and had an impact on local businesses as well.
“Life has become more difficult as store goods in Menyamya are already expensive as well as the cost of transport from Menyamya to Lae which is K100 one way,” he said.
Wiye said while the prices offered in Lae was good farmers still had to pay for the transport of their coffee bags to Lae which was around K1.20 per kilo on top of the K100 fare.
He said as the price offered in Menyamya were low and thus farmers were forced to bring their coffee to the main market.
Wiye said Prime Minister James Marape had promised government intervention through a price subsidy during a visit to launch the district development plan earlier.
He said that despite their current struggles which included foremost a lack of proper road access, the people of Kome local level government were carrying their coffee bags distances to road sides to
sell.
Wiye urged the government and the Coffee Industry Corporation to look into the pricing of the coffee and regulate it to ensure farmers were getting a fair price for their hard work or they would lose interest in coffee and other cash crops.