Cocoa

Member for Bogia Robert Naguri delivered the trucks and machinery on behalf of the Government for the resumption of the old Awar copra and cocoa Plantation recently.

The equipment included a tractor, a three-ton truck, a Toyota Landcruiser utility, one portable sawmill, four chainsaws, a power generator, one compressor, four motorbikes and one Toyota Hilux twin cab.

These trucks and machinery will be used for clean-up work and get the plantation ready for nursery of the coconut and cocoa seeds in preparation of planting.

In line with the national government’s directive for the agriculture industry, the provincial government is committed to reach the target set for the province, through an agreement signed with the PNG Cocoa Board this year.

The Gulf Provincial Government had initially signed an agreement in 2018 but it was never progressed until it expired.

The MoU now forms a pathway for Central Cocoa.

Governor Rufina Peter, newly appointed CBPNG CEO Jesse Anjen and Acting Secretary for Department of Agriculture and Livestock Brown Konabe, jointly opened the Cocoa Board Southern Regional Office on the third floor of Monian Tower in the Boroko central business district.

Upon the unveiling and ribbon-cutting formalities, Governor Peter highlighted that cocoa has a huge untapped potential in the Central Province and needs collaborative efforts to advance.

Director of MUPA Cocoa Cooperative Ltd, Sperian Kapia, revealed that the company is now paying an elevated rate of K630 per bag for their dried beans. This stands in stark contrast to the typical average price range of K530 to K570 per bag offered by intermediary buyers. The initial shipment of 40 bags of premium dried beans has added an extra K4,000 to the cooperative's coffers.

President of the Highlands Farmers and Settlers Association (HFSA), Wilson Thompson commended the Cocoa Board and Agmark NGIP, Eliven Cocoa and Middleton and Sons and smallholder farmer members that continues to drive the industry.

The Cocoa industry export figures for 2022 is 40,024 metric tonnes of export bringing in total of K313,603,141 million foreign currency.

This is increase from 2021 at 36,540 metric tonnes valued at K308,137,759 which is on the steady increase from 2021 at 32,905 metric tonnes (K274,863,434 million).

Gas Resources PNGLNG Pipeline Ltd Director for Segment 7, Wauro Oumabe, was present at the launching of the new Computer lab, E-library, Wi-Fi and FODE at the Kikori Secondary School in Gulf Province.

“I’ve been thinking tomorrow oil and gas is going to be deflated, what is next? Where will landowners go? Where will our children go and our future generation? When oil and gas is deflated at least there is an option that will sustain and fall back on. I started with a cocoa project and I’ve been driving it,” he stated.

The Cocoa Board of PNG executives were in Lae recently to hand over a dinghy and dirt bike to their office in Morobe.

Acting CEO, Tony Vigil, highlighted the momentum of cocoa production in PNG, describing it as a ‘rural crop’ that involves 2 million farmers who have generated over K300 million for our economy.

“We are now regarded as a ‘national crop’,” he said. “We are also covering the Highlands. We’ll be opening an office in the highlands, in Kundiawa. This shows that the industry is growing.

The district produced over 9, 000 metric tons of cocoa last year, 2022, which amounts to 20 percent of PNG’s cocoa produced in one district.

Member for Yangoru-Saussia and Minister for International Trade and Investment, Richard Maru thanked his people for their efforts and hard work in becoming the biggest cocoa producing district in the country. Minister Maru assured his people that Yangoru-Saussia district will invest more in cocoa this year.

The partnership between the Cocoa Board of PNG and Wafi-Golpu Joint Venture has proven to be beneficial for rural farmers.

Early this month, delegates from the two organisations visited Widuru village in Nawaeb district, and launched a cocoa combination solar dryer that was donated by Wafi-Golpu.

When celebrating the launching of their new cocoa dryer, chairman of Aneclu Cocoa Cooperative Society, Geob Kapitai, said this new development should set them on the path to becoming Morobe’s top cocoa producer.

Courtesy of a partnership between the Cocoa Board of PNG and Wafi-Golpu Joint Venture, the Wabubu Cocoa Cooperative Society became proud owners of a cocoa solar combination dryer on Tuesday, the 6^th of December.

On Tuesday, the community hosted a delegation from the Cocoa Board of PNG and Wafi-Golpu Joint Venture, who were there to officially hand over the clan’s cocoa combination dryer as well as give them their license.