Cocoa board plans package to assist farmers

THE Cocoa Board of Papua New Guinea (CBPNG) will develop cocoa rehabilitation and extension project as a stimulus package for farmers to increase cocoa production and revenue, an official says.
CBPNG chief executive officer Boto Gaupu told The National that the cocoa rehabilitation and extension programme was targeted at 30 cocoa growing districts to boost cocoa extension work.
Gaupu said the total projected export revenue anticipated from the cocoa rehabilitation project under the stimulus package was K745 million.
He said cocoa farmers in the districts would directly earn 80 per cent of the total revenue of K745 million which would be about K580 million.
Gaupu said the Government would generate an additional K74 million and 10 per cent GST (goods and services tax) through the rehabilitation programme.
This, he said, would be in addition to the current GST estimate of K35 million, which would enable cocoa value chain to contribute a total of K109 million in GST to the national purse.
“Districts and provincial memorandum of agreement under the cocoa nursery project has seen two new memorandum of agreements signed between CBPNG and the districts of Sumkar and Usino-Bundi in Madang on Aug 20,” Gaupu said.
“Other districts which include Middle Ramu and Bogia in Madang, as well as Eastern Highlands, Jiwaka and Chimbu have their memorandum of agreements in the pipeline to be signed for cocoa development work in their respective locations.”