August 28, 2023, Aiyura Valley, Obura-Wonenara, Eastern Highlands – In a significant address before a sizable gathering of thousands at Aiyura Valley in Obura-Wonenara, Eastern Highlands, Prime Minister Hon. James Marape said he will get the Department of Agriculture to start executing key governmental policies pertaining to price support and freight subsidies.
The occasion of this expression was the launch of the Obura-Wonenara Five-Year Development Plan, where Prime Minister Marape shared his concerns with a crowd eager to witness the promising trajectory of their region’s growth.
Prime Minister Marape underscored the importance of effective agricultural policies and highlighted the presence of allocated funds for agriculture price support and freight subsidy within the 2023 Budget. He pointed out that the Department of Agriculture’s operational pace had caused delays in implementing these crucial measures.
Hon. John Boito, the Member of Parliament for Obura-Wonenara, conveyed the sentiments of his constituents who cultivate some of the nation’s finest coffee. Their grievances encompassed the absence of anticipated price support from the Government during a period of declining coffee prices, as well as a lack of assistance in transporting their coffee produce to the market.
Prime Minister Marape reminded the assembly that the initiation of the coffee price support and freight subsidy had taken place in 2020, during a gathering at Asaro in the Eastern Highlands.
The Prime Minister emphasised that preserving the coffee price above the K6 threshold was of utmost significance. He acknowledged the feedback indicating a downward trend in coffee prices despite a rise in production and vowed to take these concerns into careful consideration.
He encouraged the resilient people of Obura-Wonenara to persevere through the prevailing challenges of low coffee prices and to continue their robust cultivation efforts. Assuring immediate action, Prime Minister Marape pledged to personally escalate these concerns to the Minister for Agriculture, expressing optimism that a resolution could be achieved by year’s end.
