PNG coffee marketing

Transcript

The Papua New Guinea coffee corporation says a co-ordinated approach is needed to improve marketing the industry in Europe.

Colin Smith from the European specialist coffee association has told stakeholders in Goroka that PNG needs to have a stronger presence at trade fairs and exhibitions in Europe to be competitive and create demand.

A marketing officer for the PNG Coffee Corporation, Jacqueline Ruguna, told Christopher Gilbert how important the market is.

JACQUELINE RUGUNA: The European market is one of our biggest markets. Particularly German is buying most of our coffee.  The top markets at the moment are Germany, Australia, USA, and Japan, not in order for the record. What Colin said was PNG isn't putting itself out there in the market for the European market to know about it. There's not much promotion and marketing going on.

CHRISTOPHER GILBERT: Would you agree that that is the main challenge for PNG and the European market at the moment, is promotion?

JR: That would be true. It's a challenge for us to get out there and market ourselves, PNG to market itself and promote it also.

CG: Ok, whose job is it to address that? Is that your job?

JR: Initially, it was the was the Coffee Industry Corporation's job until there was a restructuring of the institution. So that mandate was given over to the exporters (we have 19 exporters at the moment), our stakeholders to do marketing and promotions for themselves. Until recently, last year, we released that there hasn't been much progress of marketing PNG coffee, of the industry as a whole. So, the promotion and the marketing aspect came seriously last year. There's been marketing done but the industry hasn't been heavily involved in that.

CG: How big is the problem?

JR: Oh, well, I wouldn't say very big. But for most of the coffees that are brought in to the exporters, and they export it, they don't have a problem with that. It's the farmers, the little people, who make up 85% of the sector in PNG that have a problem with selling their coffee. We think that it is time that the industry promotes coffee and not as individuals. As individuals they're doing great, there's nothing wrong with it, but as an industry I don't think there's much promotion done.

CG: What has to happen next?

JR: We have to mobilise our farmers, mobilise our exporters, get the support from the industry so we go and present or participate in some of these conferences which other producing countries like Kenya, Ethiopia, Guatemala are participating. We have the capability of going there but we haven't taken that step yet.