Cocoa, copra driers to boost production

 THE rural development sector in Rabaul district, East New Britain, is preparing to assemble cocoa and copra driers in selected wards.

The driers, worth almost K200,000 each, were funded by the National Agriculture Development Programme (NADP) for the Rabaul district.

District rural development officer Byron Yawogi said eight cocoa and eight copra driers had been dispatched to sites.

He said they were constructed at Rabaweld Ltd and awaiting experts from the company to assemble them.

Yawogi said the driers had been distributed to areas where there was potential for high copra and cocoa production and would be used communally.

He said the purpose of placing driers for communal use was to encourage people to form cooperative groups in a bid to grow the local economy.

Yawogi said those within the vicinity of the driers would be eligible to use the driers and were being encouraged to form a committee to manage the use of the driers.

 All the driers are expected to be in full use by the end of this year.