Papua New Guinea (PNG), the most populous island nation in the Pacific region, is home to 11,7 million people, it occupies 463 thousand square kilometers. territories. It is believed that the PNG contains a huge number of undiscovered biological and botanical species, which are difficult to discover and explore due to the remoteness of the PNG itself from the world civilizational community and the difficult patency of its lands. A fantastically large variety of languages is also registered here: 851 languages of the world! And this, for a moment, is 12% of all the languages of the planet that are collected on such a small area!
Coffee is one of the important economic sectors of PNG, being one of the main export items (along with gas, gold, oil, palm oil, fish and copper). Due to the poverty of the population, traditional views on agriculture, low infrastructure arrangement of roads, as well as the dominance of small farms in the country's economy, agricultural crops grown here are mostly organic. This means that they are grown without the use of chemicals such as pesticides, insecticides or herbicides, are naturally processed and de facto meet the criteria of "organic", although a very small number of farmers have a formal organic certificate (because it costs a lot of money).
This is why PNG coffee is highly valued for its quality. The country produces about 800 thousand bags of green coffee per year (48 thousand tons), being one of the top 20 World producers.
The geographical features of PNG are as diverse as its linguistic heritage.
The highlands, where most of the high-quality arabica is grown, are between 1,200 and 1,800 meters above sea level. Perfect height! This high-altitude environment is perfectly combined with fertile volcanic soils, creating ideal conditions for growing excellent coffee.
The island's complex topography means that it is difficult to create large-scale monocultural plantations here, and therefore land plots are often used to grow various crops. As a result, coffee plants are natural neighbors with bananas, sweet potatoes, yams and other tropical fruits and vegetables, which reduces the need for synthetic fertilizers and pesticides and provides shaded growth, creating natural complex flavors of grains highly valued in arabica. This approach is called "agroforestry" — when coffee is integrated into a natural forest ecosystem.
To increase the amount of product, local farmers use mulching, composting and natural pest control methods, such as the use of beneficial insects and bacteria. This maintains the stability of the environment and improves the taste of coffee beans. This is why local coffee is known for its vibrant acidity, rich body and complex notes, ranging from fruity notes of citrus, mango and passion fruit to earthy, chocolate tones that make it so attractive on world markets. The coffee processing process includes instant and semi-washed techniques to emphasize the clarity and depth of taste. Individual small batches of coffee are produced by individual farming families or cooperatives who experiment with processing methods, creating various unusual coffee flavors to demonstrate the potential of PNG agriculture.
However, PNG also has its own difficulties. Yes, the country's infrastructure is not sufficiently developed. Roads are often unpaved and unreliable for the proper transportation of goods, especially during the rainy season. It should also be noted that there is not enough storage space for storing green coffee. The region is also susceptible to earthquakes, floods and volcanic eruptions, which from time to time disrupt supply chains.
However, the problems do not remain unresolved. PNG operates national and international organizations and cooperatives that help farmers with a variety of funding programs and physical activities. They also help certify coffee and other agricultural products with organic certificates so that farmers can raise prices for their quality products.
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