Prime Minister James Marape has reaffirmed his government’s commitment to boosting downstream processing and value addition in Papua New Guinea’s agriculture sector.

During a visit to the Las Malo Coffee Factory in Goroka, Eastern Highlands Province on Tuesday, 3 March 2026, the Prime Minister highlighted the importance of moving away from exporting raw commodities towards local processing, branding and stronger market positioning.

The Las Malo facility, supported under the PNG Agriculture Commercialization and Diversification (PACD) Project with backing from the World Bank, contributed about two per cent of the country’s total exports in 2025.

Mr. Marape said while PNG produces some of the world’s finest coffee, more value must be retained locally through processing, packaging and direct market engagement.

He commended the factory’s management and staff for creating jobs, supporting farmers and strengthening Eastern Highlands’ position as a leading coffee-producing province.

The Prime Minister stressed that agriculture remains key to the government’s economic transformation agenda under the National Agriculture Sector Plan 2024–2033, aimed at improving productivity, formalizing smallholder participation and increasing export earnings.

He added that coffee supports hundreds of thousands of livelihoods and improving the sector will help strengthen rural incomes and build a more resilient economy.

Mr. Marape also reaffirmed ongoing collaboration with the Coffee Industry Corporation, provincial governments, development partners and the private sector to deliver real outcomes for farmers.

He encouraged young Papua New Guineans to see agriculture as a modern and commercially viable industry, with opportunities across agribusiness, logistics, export marketing and manufacturing.

The Prime Minister concluded by calling for stronger partnerships across the sector to grow PNG’s premium coffee presence in global markets while increasing returns to local communities.