Owning their own cocoa fermentary has given the villagers of Widuru, in Morobe’s Labuta LLG, the opportunity to increase production and boost the local economy.
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.
“Mipla gat displa, em bustim mipla ol farmers lo putim mo morale go insait lo growim mo kakao na putim kopretiv lo plen blo provins lo kamapim mo kakao,” he stated. (This new dryer will boost farmers’ morale to put more effort into growing cocoa and place the cooperative in the province’s cocoa plan.)
“Taim mipla bin nogat displa, especially lo Widuru, mipla save prodiusim planti kakao wet bean na ol narapla ples save kam baim lo mipla. (Previously, Widuru used to produce a lot of cocoa but other villages buy our wet beans.)
“Tasol nau, displa em i givim mipla bikpla chalens weh mipla ken prodiusim mo kakao na mipla ken sapotim Labuta kopretiv lo stap lo sampla kain mep. (This now gives us the opportunity to increase our own production and put Labuta cooperative on the map.)
Labuta Cocoa Cooperative Society managing director, Reuben Yapi, who is also the chairman of Morobe Primary Producers’ Cooperative Society Association, said the holding cooperative boasts 70 cluster cooperatives. Seven of them are found in ward 5, which is believed to have the highest number in the Labuta villages.
With their newly-received fermentary licence, Labuta cooperative is able to also buy wet beans from other farmers.