goodmorningpapua.com – Coffee being a leading commodity in the Meepago indigenous territory in Papua is a shared dream for coffee farmers and activists. Of the many types, Modio coffee is one of the ancestral coffees from Kampung Modio, Central Mapiha District, Dogiyai Regency, Papua Province, which promises the future of local residents.
Tekege said Modio coffee is a legacy from their parents and ancestors at Modio. They also inherit the tradition of cultivating coffee, planting, harvesting and marketing it.
Tekege continued, since his childhood the price of coffee was different from the current price. He also revealed the comparison of coffee prices from the 1990s to the present.
Tekege said that in the 1990s, since Dogiyai Regency was still part of Nabire Regency, he had delivered coffee by plane from Mapiha to Nabire.
Tekege said that each family in Modio and Putapa is now required to grow coffee and own a coffee plantation, because coffee is inherited from his parents
Tekege said his group had been trained by local, national and international NGOs regarding what modern coffee management looks like
As stated by him, an assistance from the Dogiyai Regency Plantation Service was in the form of building kiosks to put their wares.
“I have a stall so that all my crops are accommodated in that kiosk. Many people used to visit his stall to brew Modio Putapa coffee,” he said.
Tekege said, he once recruited farmers and financed them. But because they didn’t like it, they finally left.
“I once recruited coffee farmers for two locations. I pay them IDR 100 thousand to IDR 1 million. However, they don’t want to work and leave the coffee fields,” he said.
Until now, he has 868 coffee trees that have flowered, and those that are still budding are countless. “The type of coffee grown is Arabica coffee,” he said.
They harvest about 2 tons of coffee, while the harvest in 2021 cannot be predicted. The harvest is distributed in cafes in Nabire and Jayapura.
“In Nabire we deliver directly to the Enauto Café. In Jayapura we sent by ship to Mr. Reba. They then sell outside Papua,” he said.
Tekege told his experience when participating in the Expo in 2018 in Kebayoran Jakarta.
“We get the best coffee with the highest value. Many people say that Meepago coffee is the same as Luwak coffee,” he said.
During the 2018 activity, they once asked whether the government provided seeds, fertilizers, and others. The government has never provided fertilizer, let alone coffee seeds.
“I told them that we in Papua, especially in Modio, grow coffee without fertilizer. We only rely on natural fertilizers for coffee development,” he said.
“Coffee beans that fall from the tree to the ground thrive. The quality is much different from coffee grown using fertilizers,” he added.
They get coffee seeds from tall growing coffee trees. Outside Papua, they grow coffee using fertilizer. Even the fertilizer is produced by a separate company.
“When we are in Modio, when the coffee beans fall and sprout, we sow them for seedlings. We thank God because until now we have grown coffee without fertilizer,” he said.
The Director of Yapkema, Hanok Herison Pigai, appreciated the coffee farmers from Modio he had fostered. “After giving the training, the participant who directly manages the coffee plantation is Andreas Tekege. He has a strong determination to develop coffee in his hometown,” he said.
Pigai said for his achievements, Andreas received a prize from Yapkema in the form of money for coaching and developing his business.
“He is the best cadre I have seen and deserves our appreciation. It is possible that he can get help from anyone for his hard work, perseverance in developing coffee at Modio and Meepago,” he said.