Bougainvillean cash crop farmers have been urged to produce quality copra and cocoa before taking it to the market to get cash.
A lot of cocoa and copra have been rejected despite the production getting higher throughout the region from North to South.
A cocoa farmer from the west coast of Bougainville Patrick Miaro said his area makes quality Cocoa because they follow all procedures and make no mistake about it, and they listen carefully to awareness by extension officers.
“It’s about time we put Bougainville back on the world map and to do that we must deliver good results in the end of the day from our products like cocoa,” Miaro said.
“Do not be blinded by the lust for money and be careless with drying cocoa and copra, these products will surely enter the world market and will bear the name of Bougainville and Papua New Guinea our homeland,” he said.
“Due to a lot of us being lazy and arrogant we just go for the money and don’t think that quality control, but in fact, quality does really matter,” Miaro said.
He also added that his area in the west coast is still reputed for quality cocoa beans and if the whole of Bougainville is like that then we will have a good reputation.
Picture: A cocoa farmer prepares cocoa for drying. There is now a call for quality cocoa to be produced.