Project for consideration by ACIAR
Project name:
Coffee Green Scales in Papua New Guinea: highland Arabica coffee and yield loss
Partner
country(ies):
Proposal from:
Papua New Guinea: Coffee Industry Corporation
Australia: University of New South Wales
Mr Alex Brook & Dr Sean T Murphy
CABI Europe - UK
Summary
description:
The project will build on the previous work conducted on the project ASEM/2004/047; Sustainable
management of coffee green scales in Papua New Guinea. It will determine yield loss in Arabica coffee due to
Coffee Green Scales.
The project will address the impact of Coffee Green Scale (CGS) and associated yield loss on highland
Arabica coffee. This will be a two pronged approach with the main focus on small holders but also using on
station trials and larger growers where record keeping is more likely. The principal objectives are as follows:
1. Determine overall yield loss in highland Arabica coffee.
2. Identify and quantify the impact of CGS on Arabica yield in small holder coffee:
a. Impact on flower production and fruit set (cherry formation)
b. Impact on cherry yield.
3. Impact of CGS on Arabica yield on research station experimental blocks and larger grower
plantations.
4. Estimate how the impacts of CGS affect potential farmer income from coffee
Coffee is the largest earner of foreign exchange within the Papua New Guinea (PNG) agricultural sector, (>
43% of PNG agricultural exports and 10% of total exports) and is primarily produced by smallholders (85 –
90% production), with few management inputs.
Goal:
Project Description:
Phone: +44 (0) 1491 829027
Email: a.brook@cabi.org
There is an urgent need to quantify the yield loss in Arabica coffee due to Coffee Green Scale (CGS) which
was a key issue in the ACIAR project: ASEM/2004/047; Sustainable management of coffee green scales in
Papua New Guinea. This will aid in decisions about sustainable coffee production for smallholders in that it
will help in the understanding of potential improved productivity. This project will build on the findings of the
previous project (ASEM/2004/047) which identified a range of smallholder farms with different levels of
CGS infestations. Many of these farms in the Eastern Highlands Province (EHP) will be suitable for “broad
scale” ecological surveys and a subset will be used as “fine scale” study farms. Comparisons can be made
between farms with low infestations versus high infestations and a relative measure of yield loss determined.
The project will consist of the same partners as the previous project (CABI, UNSW, and CIC) and will
therefore be capable of building on experience in order to achieve the objectives.
Coffee in the EHP is harvested from April to September and the project will cover a period of one growing
season in order to gather data on smallholder yields from one harvest to another. In order to quantify yield and
potential loss due to CGS, ecological surveys will be conducted periodically on a broad range of EHP
smallholder farms throughout the growing season. A representative subset of these will be surveyed more
regularly. Principally the project will survey from the onset of flowering, subsequent cherry production and
through to cherry harvest. This will provide information on coffee performance and yield throughout the year
and additional socioeconomic surveys will be able to gather information on smallholders perceptions of
overall yield loss and loss due to CGS. This will be useful in estimating potential loss of income. Other
diseases and pests of coffee are present (e.g. rust) and will also be surveyed in order to enable the project team
to determine overall loss and the impact of CGS on yield. Other factors such as shade, management and
invasive ants will be considered.
Links to ACIAR
Country Strategy:
In addition to smallholder surveys, on station controlled trials will provide an absolute measure of yield loss
due to CGS. Additional surveys of larger growers (e.g. in the Western Highlands) who are likely to keep
records will be conducted. It is hoped that this two-pronged approach will improve PNG’s, ACIAR’s and the
project team’s knowledge of CGS and coffee yield loss.
As well as linking to previous ACIAR projects (e.g. ASEM/2004/047) the project will contribute to ACIAR’s
in country research program in Papua New Guinea. It is hoped that this will enable more productive and
sustainable smallholder coffee growing systems and compliments ACIAR’s research priorities and the current
project portfolio in subprogram 3. In addition, it will also support AusAID’s PNG strategy of sustainable
broad-based economic and increased productivity.
Benefits to Australia
Links to poverty
reduction / food
security:
This initiative will help quantify the potential for increased coffee production and hence income to
smallholders in PNG; this help underpin new investments by Australian aid to build the PNG coffee
economy.
Coffee production earns A$120 million annually, and over 350,000 families are supported by this. The
majority of production is from smallholders and despite declines in quality and supply it still has a good
reputation. By determining the impact of CGS on yield loss, recommendations can be made to alleviate any
loss. As such increases in production will benefit smallholders who rely on coffee income e.g. for health and
education.
Time schedule and Budget:
Start date: September 2010
Financial
2010-11
Year
Budget AUD$
68,000
Start and end dates, approximate funding requirement
End date: December 2011
2011-12
2012-13
2013-14
80,000
Total
148,000