Papua New Guinea appoints coffee minister

The Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea has announced his cabinet, which not only contains new faces, but also new positions, including a coffee minister.

The post - considered a world first - shows the government's commitment to developing key agricultural industries, said Prime Minister James Marape, who was re-elected earlier this month after a election plagued by violence and allegations of electoral fraud. For the first time, Marape has also appointed a palm oil minister.

"The appointments specifically highlight agriculture in a very significant way, to see the growth of agriculture in the country," he said. Tuesday when the new 33-member cabinet was announced.

"Agriculture is where the government can have the greatest impact in terms of the population of this country, because most of our people are subsistence farmers. We have land and we need to encourage our people to engage in agricultural production."

Ministries of Coffee and palm oil alongside the main agriculture ministry, headed by MP for Goroka Aiye Tambua.

The coffee minister is a new MP, Joe Kuli, from Anglimp-South Waghi in the Central Highlands region.

PNG coffee has become a desirable import in recent years, with cafes across Australia, the United States and Japan serving coffee made with beans grown in PNG.

Marape said the coffee industry needs to be revived to generate more export earnings. Kuli understood the challenge, he said, because he comes from the Wahgi Valley of Jiwaka, which was once a huge coffee plantation but has been overrun by bush.

"Minister Kuli the focus will be on coffee, coffee and coffee. I want to drink coffee made in Goroka, Mt Hagen, Lae and other parts of the country. I want see more coffee grown for export to lucrative markets around the world.”

Coffee production in the country is dominated by small village farmers, almost 85% of the country's annual harvest. It is a source of income for nearly two million people - about a quarter of the population - according to the Department of Agriculture and Livestock.

Coffee is the country's second largest agricultural activity after palm oil, accounting for 27% of all agricultural exports and 6% of the country's GDP.

Francis Maneke, MP for Talase a, in West New Britain, has been appointed the new Minister for Palm Oil, responsible for growing the trees from which palm oil can be produced. % - K1.2 billion a year - of PNG's export earnings in the agricultural sector,” Marape said.

“We have so much land that are lying idle and Minister Maneke is going to be tasked with using that to increase production, as well as help existing industry grow,” he said.