Agent enables cocoa farmers at Finschhafen to sell produce

The National Main Stories

By JUNIOR UKAHA
COCOA farmers in Finschhafen, Morobe, can now sell their produce at a reasonable price at a new facility in the district.
Tears Cocoa, owned and operated by Gana Kito and his family, will act as an agent for Agmark Cocoa and will for the first time buy and ship cocoa on a large scale out of the district.
The launching of the facility on Monday was a relief for more than  10,000 cocoa farmers of Finschhafen, most of whom had abandoned their cocoa plots due to lack of markets and high transport costs.
Carpenters are putting final touches to the Tears Cocoa shed which will be officially opened for business next month.
Kito, who is also the managing director, said he decided to set up the facility after realising the struggles farmers in the district faced in trying to transport their cocoa bags to the markets.
“We have set up this facility to bring the market close to our cocoa farmers in Fisika (Finschhafen, Siassi, Kabwum) region,” Kito said.
“We saw that many of our farmers are struggling because the markets are in Lae and the transportation cost is very high. Some Fisika cocoa farmers have lost their lives trying to transport their cocoa on dinghies to sell in Lae.
“Farmers have been getting little returns for their cocoa despite putting a big effort to till their plots.
“By bringing the market here, we are trying to help them get good value for their cocoa.
“As time goes by we will expand to serve farmers in Tewai-Siassi, Kabwum and even parts of Madang and West New Britain.
“Ultimately, we want to expand to a licensed factory where we can make our own chocolates and biscuits here.”
The company is based at the Heldsbach Lutheran Mission Station in the Kotec LLG.
It is expected to ship out its first 16 bags of dried cocoa next month.
Finschhafen administrator Bohage Bebinaso said he was pleased with the facility and would provide some assistance when required.
Bebinaso said under the public-private partnership programme, the district would work together with Tears Cocoa and Agmark to see that farmers get good returns for their cocoa beans.