Item type	Journal Article
Bibliography	Kumie, T.; Sharp, T. (2025) The potential for demucilagers to improve smallholder coffee quality and manage coffee berry borer in Papua New Guinea, In: PNG Coffee Journal, Vol.16 (1), 6-17, URL: https://pacificlivelihoods.com/special-issue-journal-publications
Abstract / Content summary	The coffee industry in Papua New Guinea (PNG) today faces a range of challenges. Coffee production levels have stagnated since the 1990s and coffee quality has declined. One driver of this has been the declining returns to smallholder farmers. The challenges have been exacerbated by the arrival and subsequent spread of coffee berry borer (CBB). Increasing coffee production and improving coffee quality are central goals within the Coffee Industry Corporation’s (CIC) National Coffee Development Roadmap 2020-2030 and there is currently a strong focus on managing CBB. This paper examines the potential of small-scale demucilagers (mini-wet mills) managed by smallholder groups to improve coffee quality and to support smallholder management of CBB in PNG. Demucilagers are a machine used to process coffee cherry which produces clean washed parchment ready for sun drying without the need for fermentation. This paper reports the findings of a study which assessed whether coffee processed by demucilagers can achieve premium and specialty grade ratings, and therefore attract higher prices. Fermentation done well enhances the flavour profile of coffee, however, in the hands of smallholders it is frequently done poorly which adversely affects coffee quality. In this paper we show that demucilagers can achieve very good cupping results. Helping smallholders to achieve quality and consistency are critical to enabling them to access better markets and receive higher prices. Full and regular harvesting are critical to managing CBB. Demucilagers reduce the labour required for processing and improved quality can attain better prices for smallholders, and therefore encourage full and regular harvesting. We argue that this technology can help manage CBB and support the economic viability of coffee production in CBB-affected environments. Keywords: mini wet mills; demucilagers; coffee processing; smallholders
File	PCJ2025_V16N1P6-17.pdf
File info	735.81 KB, PDF
External web link	https://pacificlivelihoods.com/special-issue-journal-publications
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