Cocoa Board calls for proposals

THE Cocoa Board of Papua New Guinea is calling for proposals from growers, traders, exporters and cooperatives keen on entering into productive partnerships agreements with smallholder cocoa producers in East New Britain and the Autonomous Region of Bougainville.
The Productive Partnerships in Agriculture Project (PPAP) is an agriculture sector development project designed to improve the livelihoods of smallholder cocoa and coffee producers through the improvement of performance and the sustainability of value chains in cocoa and coffee-producing areas.
Acting chief executive officer Barnabas Toreu said the project was a national government initiative in conjunction with the World Bank and the International Fund for Agricultural Development.
The project is being implemented by the Cocoa Board and Coffee Industry Corporation.
The state intends to apply part of the proceeds of this credit to provide grants to partnerships in East New Britain and Bougainville.
The invitation for proposals was directed towards growers, traders, processors, exporters, cooperatives, associations, NGOs and knowledge (universities) or service providers wishing to go into productive partnership agreements with smallholder cocoa producers.
The board is inviting potential partnerships to request a copy of the “call for proposals guidelines”, which will enable partnerships to determine their eligibility.