For coffee farmers in Nabak, the poor condition of the road to Lae is more than an inconvenience—it’s a daily struggle that threatens their survival.

Farmers like Martin Kisu spend hours carrying heavy coffee bags from remote villages just to reach transport. “We work hard to grow quality coffee, but without proper roads, we can’t get it to market. Every step is a fight,” he said.

In upper Nabak, hundreds of farmers manage hundreds of thousands of coffee trees, producing hundreds of bags destined for the Homestead Coffee Factory in Lae. Partnerships with Homestead Coffee and the Coffee Industry Corporation have opened markets, but poor roads put all of this at risk.

District Program Manager Nelson Darina said the road from Bumayong to Misiyawang, which effectively ends at the village, urgently needs maintenance. “Even though Lae is close, communities struggle to access markets, schools, and basic services. This road has been neglected for years, yet it is vital for the people of Nabak,” he said.

Local families pay high transport costs or walk long distances to survive. For Nabak farmers, the road is not just infrastructure—it is the lifeline that keeps their families fed and their communities alive.