Training to address uneven quality
The program will enroll 50 smallholders from each of six districts: Puncak, Puncak Jaya, Intan Jaya, Paniai, Dogiyai and Nabire. Gobay, head of the Plantation Division at the Central Papua Plantation and Livestock Office, called it a flagship priority of Governor Meki Nawipa.
Through a formal partnership, the Indonesian Coffee Association (ASKI) will provide technical coaching while the provincial government facilitates the program. Farmers will follow the association's standardized curriculum, learning cultivation practices that include proper planting, pruning and picking only ripe coffee cherries.
Gobay said better crop management was needed to bring bean quality into line with Papua coffee's market reputation. "While Papua coffee carries significant brand prestige, bean quality has been lacking," he said.
Farmer networks and market access
Nawipa described rebuilding the local coffee industry as a long-term economic priority requiring support beyond individual farms. His administration is developing connections among coffee entrepreneurs to help them share knowledge, negotiate from a stronger position and reduce their exposure to price swings.
The governor said these networks should give farmers reliable support and long-term market access. He warned that farmers working alone often face predatory middlemen who drive down purchase prices. Strengthening grassroots growers, he added, would provide a basis for further assistance to coffee plantations across Central Papua.
Cooperatives were also the focus of remarks by Minister of Cooperatives Ferry Juliantono in Wamena, Jayawijaya District, on October 26, 2026. He encouraged coffee cooperatives in the Highlands of Papua, saying the region generally produces excellent beans but needs specialized handling and an effective marketing system. A Wamena coffee cooperative had made positive progress and could serve as a foundation for developing the regional flagship commodity, he said.
Coffee-growing roots in Paniai and Dogiyai
Two districts included in the training program, Paniai and Dogiyai, have established coffee-farming communities. EcoNusa, citing the Community Welfare Development Foundation (Yapkema), reported about 400 coffee farmers in Paniai. Dogiyai had the largest number, at 1,200, while Deiyai had the fewest, at 40.
According to EcoNusa, the seeds used by Paniai coffee growers descend from Jamaica Blue Mountain stock. The Dutch took the seeds to Papua New Guinea before missionaries planted them in Moanemani, Dogiyai. Cultivation subsequently reached Jayawijaya, the Bintang Mountains, Mimika, Paniai and Deiyai. Paniai Regency lies 1,700–2,000 meters above sea level.
Nawipa previously promoted coffee cultivation while serving as Paniai regent. EcoNusa reported that he launched a one-million-tree planting program in March 2019 and promised residents monthly assistance of Rp3 million for each hectare of coffee plantation they owned.
Plantation expansion and the national picture
Small farms dominate Indonesia's coffee-growing area. In a May 2025 report, the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service said plantations averaging 1–2 hectares accounted for 98 percent of the planted area. It identified Papua, Java and Sulawesi as smaller production areas at high elevations.
That report forecast Indonesian coffee production of 11.3 million 60-kg bags for 2025/26, a 5 percent increase from 10.7 million bags the previous year.
In Nabire, Indonesia's Agriculture Ministry said in July 2026 that it was developing 3,000 hectares of cocoa and coffee plantations along with a specialized coffee nursery under President Prabowo Subianto's downstreaming program. Director General of Plantations Ali Jamil Harahap said the initiative aimed to give Nabire the Greater Papua region's most comprehensive plantation development program that year.
