PNG’s PPAP for coffee is brewed
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| Image for illustration only. For image text, go to http://www.cic.org.pg/2016/07/14/ppap/ |
PNG’s PPAP for coffee is brewed
PORT MORESBY: In August 2010, Papua New Guinea (PNG)’s Productive Partnerships in Agriculture Project (PPAP) coffee component secured a US$94 million (K318 million) World Bank loan financing to develop the country’s coffee production and industry.
The implementation of Phase I and II of the project was targeted to be completed end of this year (Dec 31, 2019).
To date, 59,429 PPAP registered farmers are pdocing between 858,000 and 1.4 million bags of coffee beans yearly.
Providing agriculture tools, technology know-how and funding to help farmers improve yields, building access roads are some of the programmes undertaken by PPAP in Eastern Highlands, Chimbu, Jiwaka, Western Highlands, Enga, Southern Highlands, Morobe, Madang, East Sepik and East New Britain.
After nine years, PNG Cyber Monitor finds it appropriate to assess whether the K318 million had been put to optimum use, and The National had published the following detailed reports:
K318 mil PPAP to be completed by Dec 31
The US$94 million (K318 million) World Bank Productive in Agriculture Project (PPAP) Phase I and II project is scheduled for completion on Dec 31 this year.
The National’s Senior Writer MALUM NALU spent three days (July 11 to 13) in the bush to check how the project has impacted the lives of coffee communities.
The National’s Senior Writer MALUM NALU spent three days (July 11 to 13) in the bush to check how the project has impacted the lives of coffee communities.
The PPAP was approved on April 29, 2010, and signed on Aug 9, 2010, i.e about nine years ago.
The PPAP’s K318 million total loan financing for Phase I (US$39 million/K132 million) and II (US$55 million/K186 million) project is scheduled for completion end of this year.
The project development is targeted to improve the livelihoods of smallholder cocoa and coffee producers by implementing:
INDUSTRY coordination and policy development programmes and policies;
PRODUCTIVE partnerships; and
MARKET access.
The coffee-producing provinces currently benefitting from PPAP are Eastern Highlands, Chimbu, Jiwaka, Western Highlands, Enga, Southern Highlands, Morobe, Madang, East Sepik and East New Britain.
The PPAP’s K318 million total loan financing for Phase I (US$39 million/K132 million) and II (US$55 million/K186 million) project is scheduled for completion end of this year.
The project development is targeted to improve the livelihoods of smallholder cocoa and coffee producers by implementing:
INDUSTRY coordination and policy development programmes and policies;
PRODUCTIVE partnerships; and
MARKET access.
The coffee-producing provinces currently benefitting from PPAP are Eastern Highlands, Chimbu, Jiwaka, Western Highlands, Enga, Southern Highlands, Morobe, Madang, East Sepik and East New Britain.
Left: Stephanie Wambi
Wambi … more farmers want to participate in PPAP but they are turned down due to limited funds
PPAP Coffee Partnership Project Coordinator for Southern Highlands Stephanie Wambi says coffee growing has taken off extensively in the province.
Wambi, 27, an agriculture graduate of the University of Technology, said: “The project was launched in December 2016 when I got involved as a fresh graduate.
“The project covers three districts – Kagua-Erave, Nipa-Kutubu and Imbonggu. Each of the districts have three registered cooperatives.
“We have 810 registered farmers, 729 of whom are men, and 81 women.”
Wambi said the project supplied pulper machines, fertilisers, farming tools and services such as training in the various aspects of coffee growing.
“Seven nursery sites had already been set up in Nipa-Kutubu (four) and Imbonggu (three), with each having a capacity of 20,000 seedlings.
“We have a target of 216,000 seedlings but some did not grow well,” she added.
“We have, to date, produced 165,000 seedlings, 119,000 have been distributed to farmers.
“We are short of coffee seedlings, so sourced some 18,000 seedlings from Mt Hagen for distribution to farmers,” Wambi said.
She said one of the project’s main challenge was transportation, given that “we cover three districts, over a wide terrain”.
“More farmers want to participate in the project but we have to turn them down due to limited funds. That is another problem,” she added.
PPAP manager Potaisa Hombunaka says the coffee industry needs improved road network to grow.
“That is why we are building Works Department-standard roads in coffee-growing areas,” he said during a visit to the Avi Block in the Waghi Valley of Jiwaka, a prominent coffee-growing area.
“Coffee production had declined in the valley because of poor road access. We don’t only talk about coffee rehabilitation. Market access is key to growth and sustainability.
“Without market access, there’s no point for coffee rehabilitation,” he added.
Hombunaka said PPAP was a proven World Bank model in other countries using an integrated approach to agriculture development.
“If we really want to add value to agriculture in this country, we have to overcome market access, which is the biggest obstacle.
“If you ask a farmer what is their No. 1 need, they will tell you they want to wake up tomorrow, and drive a two-wheel vehicle from where they are to town and back.
“They are saying, ‘build us a road and forget about us’. That’s what the farmer badly wants,” he added.
PPAP lead partner in Southern Highlands’ Pangia Daniel Piopo says the coffee industry is growing significantly many programmes being implemented.
Piopo’s company, Kori Coffee, comes under the PPAP programme and “it is looking after 660 farmers”.
“I want to call on the Government, on behalf of my farmers, to consolidate the PPAP project as it touches the little people in the villages.
“Coffee in Southern Highlands was dead and neglected until the World Bank, through PPAP, intervened.,” he added.
Farmer Wanpis Wapoka of Weriko Village in South Wiru said the PPAP had indeed been a game changer in Pangia.
“My coffee garden was covered in bush, with wild animals roaming around, until Piopo taught me how to look after my garden, budget my finances and other matters.
“He supplied me with everything that was need for the garden. I have three coffee gardens and they are now all growing very well. I now have regular income and have even helped to build a church with my coffee money.
“I am also able to pay the school fees for my children. My life has turned for the better,” Wapoka said.
PPAP Coffee Partnership Project Coordinator for Southern Highlands Stephanie Wambi says coffee growing has taken off extensively in the province.
Wambi, 27, an agriculture graduate of the University of Technology, said: “The project was launched in December 2016 when I got involved as a fresh graduate.
“The project covers three districts – Kagua-Erave, Nipa-Kutubu and Imbonggu. Each of the districts have three registered cooperatives.
“We have 810 registered farmers, 729 of whom are men, and 81 women.”
Wambi said the project supplied pulper machines, fertilisers, farming tools and services such as training in the various aspects of coffee growing.
“Seven nursery sites had already been set up in Nipa-Kutubu (four) and Imbonggu (three), with each having a capacity of 20,000 seedlings.
“We have a target of 216,000 seedlings but some did not grow well,” she added.
“We have, to date, produced 165,000 seedlings, 119,000 have been distributed to farmers.
“We are short of coffee seedlings, so sourced some 18,000 seedlings from Mt Hagen for distribution to farmers,” Wambi said.
She said one of the project’s main challenge was transportation, given that “we cover three districts, over a wide terrain”.
“More farmers want to participate in the project but we have to turn them down due to limited funds. That is another problem,” she added.
PPAP manager Potaisa Hombunaka says the coffee industry needs improved road network to grow.
“That is why we are building Works Department-standard roads in coffee-growing areas,” he said during a visit to the Avi Block in the Waghi Valley of Jiwaka, a prominent coffee-growing area.
“Coffee production had declined in the valley because of poor road access. We don’t only talk about coffee rehabilitation. Market access is key to growth and sustainability.
“Without market access, there’s no point for coffee rehabilitation,” he added.
Hombunaka said PPAP was a proven World Bank model in other countries using an integrated approach to agriculture development.
“If we really want to add value to agriculture in this country, we have to overcome market access, which is the biggest obstacle.
“If you ask a farmer what is their No. 1 need, they will tell you they want to wake up tomorrow, and drive a two-wheel vehicle from where they are to town and back.
“They are saying, ‘build us a road and forget about us’. That’s what the farmer badly wants,” he added.
PPAP lead partner in Southern Highlands’ Pangia Daniel Piopo says the coffee industry is growing significantly many programmes being implemented.
Piopo’s company, Kori Coffee, comes under the PPAP programme and “it is looking after 660 farmers”.
“I want to call on the Government, on behalf of my farmers, to consolidate the PPAP project as it touches the little people in the villages.
“Coffee in Southern Highlands was dead and neglected until the World Bank, through PPAP, intervened.,” he added.
Farmer Wanpis Wapoka of Weriko Village in South Wiru said the PPAP had indeed been a game changer in Pangia.
“My coffee garden was covered in bush, with wild animals roaming around, until Piopo taught me how to look after my garden, budget my finances and other matters.
“He supplied me with everything that was need for the garden. I have three coffee gardens and they are now all growing very well. I now have regular income and have even helped to build a church with my coffee money.
“I am also able to pay the school fees for my children. My life has turned for the better,” Wapoka said.
More than 59,000 farmers registered with PPAP
THE PPAP has implemented 83 partnership projects (47 coffee and 36 cocoa) involving 59,429 registered farmers. PPAP’s target is 60,000 farmers or beneficiaries.
According to the latest report, the projects are under various stages of implementations with some doing well and others “struggling”. Some partnerships are doing well while others are struggling.
The coffee partnerships by provinces and funding (K61.3 million) are as follows:
According to the latest report, the projects are under various stages of implementations with some doing well and others “struggling”. Some partnerships are doing well while others are struggling.
The coffee partnerships by provinces and funding (K61.3 million) are as follows:
- EASTERN Highlands has 18 partnerships, with 13,715 farmers and funding of K20.498 million;
- JIWAKA has 11 partnerships, with 555 farmers and funding of K9.598 million;
- CHIMBU has five partnerships, with 3,067 farmers and funding of K5.634 million;
- WESTERN Highlands has four partnerships, with 3,361 farmers and funding of K5.559 million;
- MADANG has three partnerships, with 1,939 framers and funding of K3.779 million;
- MOROBE has two partnerships, with 1,875 farmers and funding of K3.773 million;
- EAST Sepik has one partnership with 839 farmers and funding of K1.5 million;
- EAST New Britain has one partnership, with 1,000 farmers and funding of K2.8 million;
- ENGA has three partnerships, with 2,402 farmers and funding of K3.918 million; and
- Southern Highlands has three partnerships, with 2,152 farmers and funding of K 4.229 million.
The coffee feeder/ring roads funding by provinces are as follows:
- JIWAKA has five roads (23.13km) with funding of K11.9 million;
- EASTERN Highlands has two roads (17.9km) with funding of K6.2 million; and
- WESTERN Highlands has two roads (9.2km) with funding of K4 million.
“These rehabilitated 50.23km of feeder roads are benefitting more than 500,000 people. The return on investment on K22.1 million will have a multiplier impact of more than 100 times at the end of the PPAP,” the report said.
The following activities have been implemented up to March 2019:
The following activities have been implemented up to March 2019:
- 263 nurseries established from a target of 282;
- 70%/53% of the nine different tools have been purchased/distributed to PPAP farmers;
- 1,575 out of 3,375 coffee agronomy and livelihood training programmes or activities have been conducted to both PPAP and non-PPAP farmers; total participants 25,136 women and 83,221 men; and
- 381 beehives (three-storey) have been introduced to PPAP farmers as part of diversification programme strategy.
From the above coffee partnership project activities, the following results have been achieved as of December 2018:
- A TOTAL of 5,224ha of coffee blocks or about 14 million coffee trees have been rehabilitated (pruning, recycle and/or maintenance), weed control, shade management, drainage, etc);
- A TOTAL of 20,070 farmers (57%) from the total of 35,367 farmers received training in pruning (recycle and maintenance);
- A TOTAL of 1,633ha of coffee blocks have been recycled pruned which is equivalent to 4.3 million coffee trees;
- A TOTAL of 3,611ha of coffee blocks have been maintained and pruned, which is equivalent to 9.6 million coffee trees;
- ASSUMING all the registered farmers under PPAP have rehabilitated their coffee blocks, a total of 16,007ha or 42,691,458 coffee trees would have been rehabilitated at the end of the project;
- YIELDS per ha have doubled and the lead partners have recorded a total sale of 11.5 million kg (11.5 tonnes) or 192,313 bags of green bean from their registered farmers;
- THE average green bean price per kg was K7.50 as of December 2018, so cumulatively the PPAP farmers would have received about K86 million; and
- COFFEE production has been fluctuating between 858,000 bags to 1.4 million bags between 2011 and 2016.
What the World Bank says about PNG’s PPAP
THE majority of Papua New Guinea (PNG)’s population lives in rural areas, largely dependent on agriculture for their livelihoods.
Coffee and cocoa are the main cash crops, with half of the country’s total workforce involved in their production, processing and sale.
Despite its importance, the quality and productivity of these crops has been declining. The PPAP aims to improve the livelihoods of smallholder cocoa and coffee producers, and promote rural development and poverty reduction.
Coffee and cocoa are the main cash crops, with half of the country’s total workforce involved in their production, processing and sale.
Despite its importance, the quality and productivity of these crops has been declining. The PPAP aims to improve the livelihoods of smallholder cocoa and coffee producers, and promote rural development and poverty reduction.
Challenge
About 80% of Papua New Guineans live in rural areas with agriculture accounting for about a third of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Coffee production is the backbone of the rural economy and accounts for 30% of the total labor force. About 90% of national exports originate in the Highlands (Western Highlands, Jiwaka, Eastern Highlands and Chimbu.
However, productivity is low, largely due to a lack of replanting, limited incentives for smallholder farmers, and poor access to markets.
The cocoa industry has been experiencing similar issues in addition to the threat posed by the cocoa pod borer, a crop disease where larvae tunnel into fresh cocoa pods and decimate cocoa harvests.
About 80% of Papua New Guineans live in rural areas with agriculture accounting for about a third of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Coffee production is the backbone of the rural economy and accounts for 30% of the total labor force. About 90% of national exports originate in the Highlands (Western Highlands, Jiwaka, Eastern Highlands and Chimbu.
However, productivity is low, largely due to a lack of replanting, limited incentives for smallholder farmers, and poor access to markets.
The cocoa industry has been experiencing similar issues in addition to the threat posed by the cocoa pod borer, a crop disease where larvae tunnel into fresh cocoa pods and decimate cocoa harvests.
Solution
The PPAP supports the creation of partnerships between farmers and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), farmer group cooperatives and local businesses.
The partnerships provide smallholder farmers with knowledge in crops and pest management, while improving their access to relevant services and opportunities that bring higher prices for their produce.
The project is also helping farmers to manage the impact of cocoa pod borer on production.
The project will support improved quality in the coffee and cocoa industries and promote the adoption of certified sustainability practices (such as organic, fair trade, Rainforest Alliance, Utz or quality certification schemes).
Under the productive partnerships component, funding will support partnerships in the private sector and civil society.
The PPAP supports the creation of partnerships between farmers and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), farmer group cooperatives and local businesses.
The partnerships provide smallholder farmers with knowledge in crops and pest management, while improving their access to relevant services and opportunities that bring higher prices for their produce.
The project is also helping farmers to manage the impact of cocoa pod borer on production.
The project will support improved quality in the coffee and cocoa industries and promote the adoption of certified sustainability practices (such as organic, fair trade, Rainforest Alliance, Utz or quality certification schemes).
Under the productive partnerships component, funding will support partnerships in the private sector and civil society.
Partners
Additional co-financing for the project has been provided by the International Fund for Agricultural Development, the European Union, the PNG Government and the private sector.
Additional co-financing for the project has been provided by the International Fund for Agricultural Development, the European Union, the PNG Government and the private sector.
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