A source of income for 40% of the population in Papua New Guinea

Ain Expo..family "coffee gardens"..speaks in 800 languages

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In the 1930s, Australian travelers discovered that the island's interior was fertile and densely populated, "they believed it to be too rugged, unsuitable for agriculture, and uninhabited". Since then, coffee production has expanded rapidly.

By the 1950s, the Papuan government had established relationships with previously unknown inland tribes, encouraging them to set up family coffee "gardens".

The typical flavor profile differs greatly from other flavors of coffee beans found on only a few islands to the west. The fertile soil of Papua produces coffee beans that have a sour taste and are rich in flavors of chocolate and tropical fruits.

During the 1960s and 1970s, coffee production flourished in Papua New Guinea, as new infrastructure was built around the island and old plantations divided among the indigenous population.

But because coffee prices have fallen, or economic activity has stagnated since 2000, Papua New Guinea's coffee industry is no longer economically viable.

Compared to many of its neighboring island nations, Papua New Guinea did not experience colonial pressures that led to poverty, famine and other forms of oppression in other colonies.

It certainly had, and still has, a complex geopolitical landscape with hundreds of indigenous tribes coming into conflict with each other from time to time, but the country's story since the colonial era is, fortunately, less bleak.

The relative peace and absence of severe repression in Papua New Guinea does not mean that the country has not experienced hard times.

But the struggles were largely internal.

With more than 800 languages ​​in the country spoken by local tribes, it is no wonder that there have been so many controversies and conflict that have caused the rise and fall of the coffee industry.

95% of coffee producers are smallholders of only 2 hectares, and most of these small family gardens have other crops besides coffee crops, such as bananas, papayas and legumes.

Over time, some of Papua New Guinea's infrastructure began to collapse, making the coffee business more difficult and expensive for small farmers.

Only 10% of the population has an internet connection, and only 55% have phones.

However, there is a small upside: “This lack of connectivity has caused Papua New Guinean coffee to thrive naturally without pesticides or other agricultural chemicals, so there is a great deal of state-certified organic coffee, although all coffees are Almost here it is grown organically, even if it is not approved by the state.”

Because of these internal challenges, Papua New Guinea produces only 1% of the world's coffee.

However, it is a source of income for a whopping 40% of the population.

Coffee is not only a cultural symbol, it is also an economic engine, but it is not growing as it should.

The drop in the price of coffee beans since 2000 has hampered the growth of the industry, something that can be seen happening all over the world.

• Coffee is not only a cultural symbol, it is an economic engine, but it is not growing as it should.

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