Cocoa Board

Cocoa Board national manager for extension, Charles Koel, said they have signed a number of agreements with districts and provinces to provide support and deliver extension programs to those centres and their farmer groups.

This week, Cocoa Board is hosting a delegation from the Gulf Provincial Government and its administration with a number of lead cocoa farmers.

The Gulf provincial team also revised a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) that was established in 2018 with the Cocoa Board of PNG, but was not progressed until it expired.

On Thursday, October 28^th, female staff wore the pink ribbon badge to show their support and attended a one-day awareness focused on women’s health and well-being.

Sr Christine Atu from the PNG Family Health Association was invited to conduct awareness on breast cancer and also took the opportunity to make awareness on the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccination.

She said awareness and knowledge on preventing breast cancer needed to be disseminated widely and effectively in the country.

EU-STREIT PNG have conducted six cocoa bud grafting and block management trainings for 1061 lead farmers in Aitape, East and West LLGs, in order to rehabilitate old cocoa trees and those affected by cocoa pod borer (CPB) pest. A new vanilla pollination technique will equip 357 lead farmers in six villages in remote areas.

FAO-led EU-STREIT PNG conducted 12 trainings for farmers in Sandaun, who earn a living from cocoa and vanilla.

Deputy Opposition Leader and South Bougainville MP, Timothy Masiu, sounded the warning recently in Lae when he launched the country’s second cocoa of excellence show to be held this July.

Masiu, who is a cocoa grower himself, sternly urged the Cocoa Board of PNG to be on the lookout, claiming intruders do not have or grow cocoa in their countries but were here pretending to be “experts” of cocoa and telling local farmers what to do with cocoa.