Korofeigu - Papua New Guinea

Producer

The Korofeigu Farmer’s Cooperative Society

The Korofeigu Farmer’s Cooperative Society is in the Bena Bena Valley of the Eastern Highlands, between Goroka and Henganofi. The coop has 97 producers farming 112 hectares. The moist, mountainous area has loamy soil, native shade, and an annual production of about 1.6 containers. Following the end of the war in New Guinea in early 1945, the administration identified four plots in Korofeigu for coffee planting. Thirteen local teenagers were sent to a new school for coffee production training. For the next year, government officials encouraged and trained villagers across the Eastern Highlands to plant seedlings. Initially, the indigenous population was indifferent; in a productive valley, a three-year return crop seemed like a waste. Although some plots were neglected, they remained, beginning the area's coffee-farming culture. From these small plantings in and around Korofeigu, coffee has become Papua New Guinea's most vital agricultural crop, providing the primary income for one-third of the country's population.