Boosting PNG’s cocoa to the rest of the world

THE majority of PNG’s population lives in rural areas, whose livelihood largely depend on subsistence agriculture.
Agriculture accounts for about a third of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in a sector that is dominated by smallholder farming systems.
Cocoa is the most important export cash crop of smallholder farmers in the wet lowlands. More than 90% of PNG’s cocoa is produced by smallholders.
PNG contributes less than 2% of the world cocoa market but it has established an international reputation for quality, attracting 90% of a premium for fine and flavour cocoa.
Very competitive and efficient marketing systems and quality control have resulted in an extremely high Free-on-Board (FOB) price paid to PNG farmers for several decades.
The PPAP aims to combat these problems to improve the livelihood of smallholder cocoa and coffee producers, and promote rural development and poverty reduction in general.
The PPAP is executed by the PNG Government and funded by the World Bank and the International Fund for Agricultural Development.
The programme and project implementers are the National Department of Agriculture and Livestock (NDAL), Cocoa Board of PNG and the Coffee Industry Corporation (CIC).