Cocoa board looking at rehabilitation programmes

Business

By ROSELYN ELLISON
THE Cocoa Board of Papua New Guinea (CBPNG) is now taking a different approach to growing the country’s cocoa industry.
In East New Britain, this includes supplying seedlings, building cocoa nurseries, conducting trainings as well as looking at other agriculture-related projects in the province.
CBPNG chief executive Boto Gaupu said the cocoa industry was also trying to refurbish all plantations in the province, rehabilitate them and replant cocoa trees.
Gaupu said cocoa farmers in the province and other cocoa producing provinces in the country needed cocoa seeds as the demand was at a peak.
“We have been under stress in terms of seed supply but now, everything is under control because money has been pooured into both research and extension,” he said.
“We are now getting funds from the industry to re-invest in to the industry to ensure we deliver in our main core business.
“Money that is generated by the industry must be put back to the industry and put back to activities like research and extension.”
Gaupu said with the lockdown and the Covid-19, everything had come to a stop but since the easing of restrictions the industry was generating money with government support.
“In East New Britain, Kokopo is the leader they have been working close partnership with us (CBPNG) in developing nurseries and building cocoa fermentry for cooperatives in their communities,” he said.
Gaupu said CBPNG have existing memorandum of agreement (MOA) with Kokopo and also with other three districts in ENB.
He commended Kokopo for their partnership which had seen the construction of three combination dryers while one was currently under construction.