New Guinea Can Grow First Class Coffee

The following article, outlining the possibilities of coffee-growing in Pavua-New Guinea, is based on material supplied to the newspapers on January 13 by the Australian Department of Territories. It will be noted that, while some practical data are given, there is a certain lack of guarantee in respect of (a) availability of land and ( b ) markets.

COFFEE has been grown on a small scale in Papua and New Guinea for many years. In 1938-39 exports of coffee amounted to 150 tons, valued at £7,754. Pro duction during the war was sus pended. Many coffee plantations

were damaged during the Japanese occupation. In 1950/51, 33 tons of coffee valued at £8,359, were ex ported. This figure had increased to 35 tons, valued at £10,511, in 1951/52.

Census of March, 1951, showed coffee planting (in acres) as follows: Not Bearing Bearing Robusta 53 64 Arabica 148 166 201* 230 f ♦Mostly in New Guinea—l4o in Morobe District and 50 in Bou gainville. 1169 in New Guinea (100 in

Morobe District and 66 in Centra Highlands). 61 in Papua.

Coffee is adaptable to a widi range of soil types, and choic coffee land can be found on th coastal slopes, foothills and high land valleys of Papua and Ne\ Guinea.

The two major varieties usei commercially are Arabica (a high land type) and Robusta (suited t the lowlands). Robusta is th variety mostly consumed in Aus tralia and better quality Arabica i principally used for blending Robusta is heavier-yielding (7 cw per acre) and usually is lower priced than Arabica (about 4 cwl per acre).

Arabica grows well in the Cen tral Highlands and in the hig] valleys near Wau.

Department of Agriculture main tains a number of species of low level coffee at Keravat Lowland Agricultural Experiment Static] near Rabaul, and has several type of high quality cpffee under tria at the Aiyura Highlands Expert ment Station in the Eastern High lands.

A privately-owned coffee planta tion at Wau now produces Bin Mountain Jamaica coffee, one o the highest quality Arabica coffe< strains in the world. Heaviest high quality crops are produced betweei 4,000 and 6,000 feet altitudes an< crops around one ton per acre havi been harvested in the NG High lands. Plants on an area at Kori Farm, near Mt. Hagen, are showin[ very fine yields.

Private planters have proved tha coffee thrives in the Highland areas There now are 6 or 8 new coffe< plantations in the Highlands. Mos of the suitable coffee land in thes< areas is at present owned by th< natives.

Coffee rust (Hemeleia Vastatrix] has not been recorded in Papus or New Guinea: good qualitj Columbian type Arabica coffee cat be produced at levels as low an 300-500 feet without any dangej of this disease. The destructive Boeboek borer found in Java anc Malaya has not been recorded in the Territory.

Availability Of Land

Low level. —There are areas oj Crown Land suitable for coffeel growing in the Sangara area (u| to 1200 feet altitude) and at Wanfl gela-Sinapa (from about 100 to 2,300 feet). Other land at about 3,00® feet is suitable for coffee, but is difficult of access at present. Theri are several unused coffee plants! tions in Bougainville and New Britain, which could be re-plantef more cheaply than developing new areas.

High Level.—Large areas on thfi) Highlands are suitable for coffeef growing. Areas under grass on the) valley floors (4,000-5,000 feet) have proved very suitable.