Cocoa men told to export through local firm

 By DOROTHY MARK 

COCOA farmers in Morobe  shoould use a local exporter for their dried cocoa beans, PNG Cocoa Board officer Richard Kawah said. 

Kawah urged the local farmers to export their produce through Wasamo Commodities Ltd.

He said: “Farmers should be aware that they can export cocoa and benefit directly only through Wasamo Commodities.”

Wasamo is an export company owned by the Morobe Cocoa Cooperatives Association Ltd (MCCAL).

Kawah said the farmers in Morobe were preparing for cocoa exports but were starting small.

On the other hand, cocoa farmers in Watut were preparing for bigger cocoa export, he said.

“The farmers are organising to start small … they have not actually exported cocoa as yet although the export company was granted approval to trade by the Cocoa Board of Papua New Guinea on April 23.

“The Cocoa Board aims to remove middle players in the market supply chain and to provide opportunity for legitimate cocoa farmers to market their produce directly overseas and benefit from their labour.

“I appeal to legitimate Morobe cocoa farmers to understand this marketing structure established and to be part of it,” Kawah said.

Since exporting was getting off the ground now, he urged cocoa farmers to organise themselves into formal producers’ groups and affiliate with MCCAL and be partners of Wasamo Commodities in exporting their dry cocoa beans.

Wasamo Commodities is getting cocoa bags from farmers from Huon Gulf district and loading them in containers stored at a site 180m away from Markham Bridge.