Papua New Guinea: Boosting Production of Some of the World’s Best Coffee

Papua New Guinea’s coffee is achieving growing recognition internationally – with one of its growers last year bagging third place in a global taste competition.
Yet, PNG is not widely known as a coffee-producing nation, mainly because it is responsible for only around 1 percent of the world’s coffee. This means it has little influence over global prices which have plummeted in the past three years - the result of a glut in major producing countries like Brazil and Vietnam.
However, many exporters and buyers see great potential for Papua New Guinean coffee, particularly if growers – around 90 percent of whom are smallholders – can capture niche markets. This, they say, will enable farmers to capture a higher price for their produce, and ultimately, increase consumer recognition of a PNG “brand”.

PNG has big potential for gourmet coffee
Aarlie Hull, Co-Founder of Highlands Arabicas, a company which ships gourmet coffees to roasters worldwide, firmly believes that PNG coffee has the potential to put itself on the map.
“You’ve heard of Jamaican Blue Mountain. Well, there’s no reason why PNG coffee couldn’t achieve this same recognition,” she says. “It’s got great taste, great aroma. The fact that it’s rare isn’t an impediment; it’s an opportunity. Done well, I’m convinced this could be the best coffee in the world.”
What determines price premiums for specialty labels, however, is quality, and PNG’s half million coffee farms, on which 2.5 million people depend for their livelihoods, will require significant support and investment to achieve it. Many of their coffee trees are now more than 40 years old, and farmers are producing far below their potential yield. Extension services have also seen significant declines over the last decade, contributing to a loss of valuable agricultural knowledge in many parts of the country.
http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2014/02/25/png-boosting-produc…
http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/programmes/datelinepacific/audio…