Organised by the University of Papua New Guinea’s School of Business and Public Policy and the Australian National University’s Development Policy Centre, the annual PNG Update is the premier forum for the discussion of research and analysis relating to contemporary economic and public policy issues in PNG.

The 2023 PNG Update was held at the University of Papua New Guinea Waigani campus on 17–18 August.

Select sessions were livestreamed via the UPNG Facebook page.

Full program and event updates

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The PNG National Research Institute’s discussion paper Determinants of coffee production in major coffee-producing provinces of PNG: challenges and opportunities, examines how coffee has the potential to provide income for households and government revenue, however, some coffee-producing countries continue to witness a decline in the quantity of coffee produced. This discussion focuses on a study which examined the farm and coffee grower’s characteristics that influence the quantity of coffee produced, and the challenges and opportunities in coffee production in Papua New Guinea (PNG). Important factors influencing the quantity of coffee produced include the location of coffee plot, labour type, coffee production scale and access to productive partnership in agriculture project, educational level, awareness of the productive age of coffee tree and participation in coffee production training. Challenges for coffee production include coffee leaf rust, coffee berry borer, poor extension services and poor access to markets and processing facilities. Opportunities in coffee production in PNG include availability of conducive environments and coffee plantations that can be revitalised. These findings contribute to discussion regarding potential ways to improve production so that coffee can contribute more to the country’s economy and to household incomes.

Speaker:
Associate Professor Eugene Ezebilo, Deputy Director for Research, PNG National Research Institute

The ANU-UPNG seminar series is part of the partnership between the ANU Crawford School of Public Policy and the UPNG School of Business and Public Policy, supported by the PNG-Aus Partnership.