For coffee farmers in Papua New Guinea’s remote lower highlands, transporting dry beans to market has long been a challenge. With support from MAF and the Coffee Industry Corporation, the harvest gets flown out – and improves livelihoods.
Story by Aquila Matit
In the isolated Karimui District of Simbu Province, coffee farmer and land mediator Gobu Oropha knows the struggle of living in a remote community. A two-to-three-day walk from Goroka town, his community relies solely on air transport.
Mission Aviation Fellowship serves Karimui and surrounding airstrips regularly from its Goroka base, cutting the arduous journey to only half an hour in the air.
“We fill three to four hundred 50kg bags of coffee, but without planes, there’s no road, no other way out,” Gobu said, speaking of his harvest.
In the past, when flights were scarce and beans spoiled, farmers burned their coffee beans, a great loss for them.
“In 1975, we had bags of coffee beans waiting for transport, under tarpaulins alongside Karimui airstrip. That coffee was burned, because no planes came,” Gobu said.
This waste is now a thing of the past, thanks to MAF and its partnership with the Coffee Industry Corporation (CIC). Kolen Komo, CIC’s Acting Freight Coordinator, explains the transformation.
“The CIC Freight Program began in 1999 to tackle the huge volumes of quality coffee in remote areas due to farmers’ struggles in transporting it to town. With government funding and MOUs with airline freighting companies, we subsidise freight costs for farmers,” he said.
Farmers sell their coffee, with 60% of proceeds reinvested into the CIC freight account, creating a revolving fund.
“This has grown from 60% support to effectively 100%, ensuring coffee beans reach markets,” Kolen said.
Since the freight program started, farmers have been relieved, with MAF flights bringing opportunity to many families in the region.
This has grown from 60% support to effectively 100%
“Before, they used to burn the coffee – many bags. Only those who were financially able could hire youths from the community to carry it out. It would take them days or even weeks to travel from their community to come to the main road,” Kolen said.
“MAF fly there now, and they have the chance to transport their coffee quickly in a short period of time. Now they do not burn coffee. We fly all the coffee to town for better prices, improving their living standards.”
For Gobu, the difference is life changing.
“Since I was a child, coffee has been our lifeline. Now, MAF flies my coffee bags to Goroka, and the income supports my ten children – five in school, five out. It pays for fees, books, and clothes,” he said.
“When planes fly, we’re okay. Without them, we struggle. There’s no other way for me to earn. MAF has been serving us coffee growers for years.”
“Since we started our partnership with MAF, we are happy it is an aviation organisation that is mission oriented,” said Kolen. “We have found out some good things about MAF. They do mission work, and we see this freight program as part of their missionary work.
“We do not make coffee-runs only. When we hear of farmers who are sick or are injured, they notify us, and we give them priority,” added Kolen.
Gobu’s gratitude is clear: “I thank God for MAF. They do mission work, helping us in tough times, whether it’s coffee or emergencies, they make a huge difference in this country.”