Cocoa and boxing steal show as BCL visits Arawa

COCOA and boxing were featured prominently during a four-day visit by the Bougainville Copper Limited engagement team to Arawa in Central Bougainville.
“The visit from Sept 5 to 8 coincided with the national boxing championships of which the BCL was a notable sponsor, and the 2017 Bougainville Chocolate Festival which showcased the island’s cocoa industry,” a company statement said.
The team was led by the executive manager for Bougainville Justin Rogers and Bougainville manager Ephraim Eminoni.
Rogers stressed the importance of sports and  agriculture in his address during a combined opening ceremony for the boxing tournament and chocolate festival.
“It was a chance for us to acknowledge the important parts played by the cocoa industry and the sport of boxing in terms of fostering economic development in Bougainville and the development of people more broadly,” Rogers said.
“Boxing for example provides more opportunities for Bougainvilleans to not only train and compete at the local level, but to enter the international arena and shine on the world stage, with no better example than young champion Thaddeus Katoa.
Rogers also said Bougainville’s cocoa industry looked to have a very bright future and had earned international recognition for its quality.
He said such opportunities would bring together cocoa farmers and stakeholders with a focus on lifting the production of high-quality cocoa in Bougainville.