27 Mar 2007

PNG growers demand scrap levy on coffee,

8:24 am on 27 March 2007

The Papua New Guinea Block Holders Association is calling on the Government to scrap a 3 US cent levy being collected from every kilo of coffee sales.

The National newspaper reports the deputy chairman of the PNG Block Holders, Tony Kubul Wii, as saying it was unfair for the Government to exclude coffee from commodities getting funding assistance.

He says the Government is stealing from the poor growers by collecting the levy.

He says the government hasn't funded the Coffee Industry Corporation over the past decade, and the CIC's internal revenue collection of less than 2.3 million US dollars didn't meet an estimated yearly expenditure budget of almost 3 million US dollars.